university of tasmania research projects

Menzies Institute for Medical Research

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Menzies exists to perform internationally significant medical research leading to healthier, longer and better lives for Tasmanians. Read more about our purpose.

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Better health and better lives for tasmanians is the vision that drives our research at menzies, research highlight, pressure on inaccurate blood pressure monitors.

In a recent study with global implications, the majority of blood pressure monitors available for purchase in Australia have not undergone rigorous accuracy testing.

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Our research, public health, primary care and health services, brain health and disease, heart and blood vessels, bone and muscle health, genetics and cancer, community quicklinks, how to check if a blood pressure device has been tested for accuracy, menzies multiple sclerosis flagship program, graduate research at menzies, participate in our research, our global connections, tailored treatment for osteoarthritis.

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Aligning societal needs and research priorities in a place-based university.

McGuire, A. (CoI)

02/2/19 → …

Project : Research

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School of education.

Our graduates share a determination to improve educational outcomes in schools and communities.

Our School is a leader in online delivery of teacher education and our graduates are experienced in working across place-based, blended and online learning contexts.

Our online courses are open to students from around Australia and in lutruwita/Tasmania we teach in Hobart, Launceston and on the Cradle Coast. Because our students have varied lives and responsibilities, full or part-time study and a wide range of supports are available.

Our nationally accredited Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programs graduate educators who will work in early years settings, primary and secondary schools and TAFE. Our graduates meet or exceed the national requirement of entry-level teachers in each of these areas and as a result enjoy very high employment rates in Tasmania and elsewhere. Our large associate degree program prepares our students to be highly effective and qualified classroom assistants.

All our programs feature unique aspects – on-Country experiences and opportunities to better understand Indigenous knowledges, support to become a trauma informed educator, as well as developing explicit skills in early literacy and numeracy practices. The combination of these means our graduates, whether they work in small or large communities, are well equipped to make a lasting difference to the lives and futures of students and their families.

If you want to make a difference, we would love you to join us.

Whether you are inspired to teach or are ready to further your career, we have the specialist studies that will enable you to reach your career goals.

Innovative, evidence-based and rigorous research focused on ensuring equitable access to education and educational attainment, as well as the health and wellbeing of learners.

We want to work with stakeholders to co-design approaches to teaching and research that help shape and deliver on our vision for education futures.

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The University of Tasmania is committed to enhancing educational attainment in Tasmania. The foundation for educational attainment and its benefits for health, community and relationships, productivity, wellbeing is laid in early childhood development and education.

The Faculty of Education conducts innovative, evidence-based and rigorous research designed to make a difference. We focus on ensuring equitable access to education and educational attainment, as well as the health and wellbeing of young learners and adults within educational institutions and communities. Key areas of primary importance and research depth include Early Years; Trauma-informed Practice; Creative Pedagogies which encompasses Language in Education and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning; and the Active Work Laboratory which seeks to influence workplace behaviour.

Wherever possible we want to work with stakeholders to co-design our approach to research and a vision for the future. Please contact us to get involved.

Find out more about Arts, Law and Education research

• Early Years Living Lab
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Our news and stories

A unique outdoor and environmental education experience in tasmania.

Tasmania’s unique landscape will be the classroom when the University offers a new range of courses for outdoor and environmental educators and guides from 2025.Three offerings will be introduced, including the nation’s only four-year combined…

Literacy roundtables encourage Tasmanian solutions

A report by the Australian Education Union estimates 50 per cent of Tasmania’s population has inadequate reading skills for their daily life.Seeing the need for solutions, a two-day symposium – the Cuthill Family Foundation Early Years Literacy…

Overcoming barriers in an online learning community

Boosting online learning’s potential to overcome barriers to university study will be the focus of new research in the School of Education.Strategies to better engage students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, will be explored in…

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The Terraluma project

@terraluma on twitter, drone online course.

Terraluma are pleased to announce the release of our Drone Remote Sensing and Mapping online short course. short-courses.utas.edu.au/courses/drone-mapping

Continue reading

New publications on UAS-based observations of solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence

We recently published/got accepted new results on the UAS-spectroscopy for solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence project. The paper entitled Footprint Determination of a Spectroradiometer Mounted on an Unmanned Aircraft System examines the geometric and radiometric accuracy of spectroradiometer footprints projected onto a digital surface model. The paper can be accessed here. A…

New AirSIF publication by Deepak

Meet #AirSIF, a #UAS spectroradiometer for solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF). Check out Deepak’s latest paper on lever-arm and boresight correction for #AirSIF. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924271619301571#f0005 … Nice figure production skills Dr Deepak (recent @TerraLuma graduate)!

Deepak Gautam’s graduation

Congratulations to Deepak Gautam and his family on his #PhD #graduation @UTAS_ #UTAS_GSS in the @TerraLuma group. Deepak develop a novel technique for spectral footprint characterisation of a flying spectroradiometer on a #drone #UAS. Well done Dr Deepak!

Local exhibition opening: Drones: our science eyes in the skies

Until 20th Sptember 2019 visitors can see the exhibition: Drones: our science eyes in the sky with some contribution from Terraluma. More information here.

We have 7 University of Tasmania PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships

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University of Tasmania PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships

Frailties in multiple sclerosis, phd research project.

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

This project is in competition for funding with other projects. Usually the project which receives the best applicant will be successful. Unsuccessful projects may still go ahead as self-funded opportunities. Applications for the project are welcome from all suitably qualified candidates, but potential funding may be restricted to a limited set of nationalities. You should check the project and department details for more information.

Genetics of interstitial lung disease

Funded phd project (students worldwide).

This project has funding attached, subject to eligibility criteria. Applications for the project are welcome from all suitably qualified candidates, but its funding may be restricted to a limited set of nationalities. You should check the project and department details for more information.

Developing drought-resilient agriculture: Developing drought-resilient farming systems in the face of increasing water scarcity

Simulating soil carbon: next generation artificial intelligence for quantum gains in soil carbon, the role of ebv in multiple sclerosis, multiomics of musculoskeletal disorders, exercise physiology in the detection of high blood pressure.

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Filtering Results

Transport Research Project

Undergraduate | TAS-JNB359 | 2024

Enrolments for this course are closed, but you may have other options to start studying now. Book a consultation to learn more.

HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP available Learn more about financial options

About this subject

What you'll learn.

Upon successful completion of this subject, the student should be able to:

• Propose a research topic to address transportation industry issues
• Synthesise the relevant literature for a transport related issue
• Design data collection methodologies for the transport research issue
• Present research findings to inform industry, government or academic stakeholders

Topics covered

• Module 1: Introduction. Research Problem Identification. Topic Selection
• Module 2: Research Process and Project Proposal
• Module 3: Literature Review
• Module 4: Research Design. Data Analysis Methods
• Module 5: Writing a Project Report
• Module 6: Workshop 1: Literature Review Writing
• Module 7: Workshop 2: Data Collection (part 1)
• Module 8: Workshop 3: Data Collection (part 2)
• Module 9: Workshop 4: Data Analysis and Findings Writing
• Module 10: Workshop 5: Data Analysis and Findings Writing (cont'd)
• Module 11: Workshop 6: Conclusion and Implications
• Module 12: Workshop 7: Finalising the Project Report

Description

The aim of this subject is to develop your ability to manage a research project in the maritime, transport, logistics and related areas. In order to develop your research project skills, this subject explains the research project process. This includes the identification of the research problem, review of relevant literature, data collection and analysis and writing and presentation of the research report. The subject will also teach you how to manage research resources, meet expectations and deliver the project within the established time frame.

Given that the purpose of this subject is to undertake a research project in an area of your own interest, there is no specific study guide provided. Instead, you will apply what you have learnt in other subjects to your research project. The research project is conducted under the guidance/supervision of the subject coordinator. Should you have any problems with this subject, please contact me in the first instance by email or telephone. Alternatively, raise your questions during classes. Contact details are included within this booklet. You are strongly encouraged to consult with me about your research topic from the commencement of the semester and any matters arising during the process of conducting your research project. Students are encouraged to contact the lecturer via phone or email regularly throughout the semester.

Assessments

• Engagement Quiz (0%)
• Final Project Report (40%)
• Project Definition (10%)
• Project Proposal (20%)
• Literature Review (30%)

For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).

About University of Tasmania

Wherever you are, the University of Tasmania brings its island campus to you through a growing range of online programs across art and design, business, education, health, science, sustainability, technology, and more. It’s never too late to switch things up. Kickstart that career you’ve been dreaming about, or upskill for the one you’re in. You’ll also become a part of the world's leading university on climate action.

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Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.

Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.

Why study a single subject?

Bite sized study

Try studying a particular area to see if online study suits you, or upskill in just a few months with a single subject that you’re interested in.

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With thousands of single subjects to choose from, you can find topics that get you on the path to your higher education goals fast.

Gain Uni credit

Most single subjects are part of a full degree. That means if you’re keen to keep learning, you can gain credit for the subjects you’ve successfully completed.

What to study next?

Once you’ve completed this subject it can be credited towards one of the following courses

Bachelor of Global Logistics and Maritime Management

Undergraduate | TAS-GLM-DEG

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Single subjects are the individual components that make up a degree. With Open Universities Australia, you’re able to study many of them as stand-alone subjects , including postgraduate single subjects , without having to commit to a degree.

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Recovering sedimentary ancient DNA of harmful dinoflagellates accumulated over the last 9000 years off Eastern Tasmania, Australia

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Linda Armbrecht, Christopher J S Bolch, Bradley Paine, Alan Cooper, Andrew McMinn, Craig Woodward, Gustaaf Hallegraeff, Recovering sedimentary ancient DNA of harmful dinoflagellates accumulated over the last 9000 years off Eastern Tasmania, Australia, ISME Communications , Volume 4, Issue 1, January 2024, ycae098, https://doi.org/10.1093/ismeco/ycae098

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Harmful algal blooms (HABs) have had significant adverse impacts on the seafood industry along the Tasmanian east coast over the past 4 decades. To investigate the history of regional HABs, we performed analyses of sedimentary ancient DNA ( sed aDNA) in coastal sediments up to ~9000 years old collected inshore and offshore of Maria Island, Tasmania. We used metagenomic shotgun sequencing and a hybridisation capture array (“HABbaits1”) to target three harmful dinoflagellate genera, Alexandrium , Gymnodinium , and Noctiluca . Bioinformatic and DNA damage analyses verified the authenticity of the sed aDNA sequences. Our results show that dinoflagellates of Alexandrium genera have been present off eastern Tasmania during the last ~8300 years, and we sporadically detected and unambiguously verified sequences of Gymnodinium catenatum that were present offshore up to ~7600 years ago. We also recovered sed aDNA of the fragile, soft-bodied Noctiluca scintillans with increased relative abundance since 2010, consistent with plankton surveys. This study enabled us to identify challenges of sed aDNA sequence validation (in particular for G. catenatum , a microreticulate gymnodinoid species) and provided guidance for the development of tools to monitor past and present HAB species and improvement of future HAB event predictions.

The negative impacts of harmful algal blooms (HABs) on tourism, aquaculture, fisheries, and human health mean that the appearance of novel HAB phenomena regularly raise the question of whether the species responsible is a recent introduction (e.g. via ballast water [ 1 , 2 ]) or a previously cryptic endemic species stimulated by changing environmental conditions [ 3 ] or extreme climate events [ 4 ]). However, only a few studies have systematically examined the “cryptic species” hypothesis by investigating long-term dynamics over thousands of years (e.g. [ 5–7 ]).

The ocean environment off eastern Tasmania is a well-documented climate change hotspot characterised by a strengthening East Australian Current and rapidly increasing ocean temperatures (2.3°C increase since the 1940s [ 8 ]). The consequences of this oceanographic change are being detected in coastal marine communities, including changes in plankton composition and the appearance of previously unrecorded HAB species [ 9 ]. Three previously documented examples that are the focus of this study are the HAB dinoflagellates Gymnodinium catenatum , Noctiluca scintillans , and Alexandrium species [ 10 , 11 ].

G. catenatum produces paralytic shellfish toxin (PST) and is the only toxic member of a phylogenetically distinct lineage within Gymnodinium ( G. catenatum , G. inusitatum , G. microreticulatum , G. nolleri , and G. trapeziforme ) that produce fossilising resting cysts with distinctive surface reticulation—referred to hereafter as “microreticulate species.” Thought to have been introduced to Tasmania in the 1970s by shipping ballast water [ 1 , 2 ], G. catenatum first bloomed in the mid-1980s, causing PST contamination levels up to 250-fold above acceptable limits and extensive shellfish farm closures in the Derwent–Huon estuaries from 1986 to 1993 [ 12 ]. Supporting evidence for the recent introduction of G. catenatum includes detection of cysts in ship ballast tanks [ 13 ], lack of cysts in marine sediment dated prior to the early 1970s [ 2 ], reproductive compatibility studies [ 14 ], and molecular evidence from DNA fingerprinting [ 15 ] and rRNA gene sequencing [ 1 ], all of which support a link between Australasian populations and source populations from the Seto Inland Sea in southern Japan.

N. scintillans was first documented in Australia from Sydney Harbour [ 16 ], but since the 1990s has increasingly caused highly visible red tides and bioluminescence, resulting in frequent temporary closures of popular Sydney tourist beaches [ 17 ]. Amongst the suggested causes of N. scintillans blooms are eutrophication and coastal upwelling generating more diatom prey [ 18 , 19 ]. Noctiluca scintillans was first observed in Tasmanian waters in 1994 and are presumed to have dispersed southward with the East Australian Current, presenting a new threat to the salmonid fish farm industry from 2002 [ 11 ]. In 2010, N. scintillans was detected in the Southern Ocean for the first time, 240 km south of Tasmania, raising concerns of grazing impacts on iconic krill-based food webs [ 20 ].

Winter–spring blooms of the cool-temperate dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella were recorded for the first time in 2012 and resulted in PST contamination levels up to 150 mg saxitoxin equivalents/kg, widespread seafood harvest closures, and public health warnings along Tasmania’s eastern coast [ 10 , 21 ], and four non-fatal cases of human PST poisoning [ 22 , 23 ]. The morphologically identical but genetically distinct Alexandrium. australiense and Alexandrium pacificum were previously known from Tasmanian waters [ 1 ]; however, Alexandrium catenella (= Alexandrium tamarense Group 1; = Alexandrium fundyense ; [ 24 ]), had not previously been detected in Australasian waters. Analyses of regional populations indicated that Tasmanian A. catenella microsatellite DNA are divergent from those of other global populations [ 25 ], suggesting that A. catenella is either endemic or has dispersed to the area naturally over millennial timescales. Thus, A. catenella may be a previously cryptic population recently stimulated by changing environmental conditions, such as increased winter water column stratification [ 4 ].

Marine sediments are an archive of highly resistant sub-fossil resting cysts that represent the long-term dynamics of HAB species and can be used to address key questions about their introduction, disappearance, and reappearance in a region. Analysis of sedimentary ancient DNA ( sed aDNA) also offers the distinct advantage of a record of non–cyst formers or less well-preserved cysts currently not accounted for in microfossil-based ecosystem reconstructions [ 26 , 27 ]. For example, Noctiluca has not been shown to produce cysts but can be detected using sed aDNA [ 28 ]. However, sed aDNA is highly fragmented (typically <100 bp) and occurs at low concentrations, and because any one target species represents only a small fraction of the total DNA present, sed aDNA is prone to contamination with modern DNA. Therefore, bioinformatic assessment of DNA damage patterns typical of degraded ancient DNA is critical to authenticate the results [ 29 ]. Detection of target species can be improved by enrichment of target sequences by hybridisation capture with RNA probe arrays [ 30 ].

In this study, we combined metagenomic shotgun sequencing and hybridisation capture using a previously designed array (HABbaits1) [ 30 ] to enrich taxonomic marker genes of HAB species (18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, internal transcribed spacer [ITS], ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase, and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1) from sed aDNA in eastern Tasmanian marine sediments. To support an ecological interpretation of regional community change in Tasmanian waters, we investigated the presence and palaeo-historical patterns of Alexandrium , G. catenatum , and N. scintillans over the past ~9000 years.

Sediment core collection and preparation

An approximately 3 m–long sediment core (gravity core, designated “GC2S1”) and a parallel short core (12-cm multicore, designated “MCS1-T6”, where “T6” refers to tube 6 of the multi-corer) were collected in May 2018 during the RV (research vessel) Investigator voyage IN2018_T02 in 104-m water depth close to the continental shelf edge, east of Maria Island, Tasmania (Site 1; 148.240°E; 42.845 o S) ( Fig. 1 ). A 35 cm–long multi-core was also obtained from within Mercury Passage, west of Maria Island (Site 3; 42.550°S, 148.014°E) in a water depth of 68 m (designated “MCS3-T2”). All cores were immediately capped, sealed, labelled, and transported to the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Lucas Heights, Australia, where they were kept at 4°C. Cores GC2S1, MCS1-T6, and MCS3-T2 were opened, split, scanned (using a multi-function core scanning instrument [ITRAX] with X-ray fluorescence, radiographic X-ray, optical imaging, and magnetic susceptibility measurements), and subsampled for sed aDNA analyses in October 2018 (see [ 30 ] for details) using strict contamination control measures (facemask, hairnets, disposable coveralls, glove changes and surface/tool decontamination with 3% bleach and 70% ethanol between samples). Core GC2S1 was subsampled at 5-cm intervals; Core MCS1-T6 was subsampled at 2-cm intervals. Mercury Passage multicore (MCS3-T2) was subsampled at 2-cm intervals in the top 8 cm and then 5-cm intervals. All sed aDNA samples were immediately stored at −20°C. Hereafter, sediment depths refer to the top depths of each ~1.5- cm sample (diameter of sampling tube).

Sediment coring sites near Maria Island, Tasmania, Australia. Overview of coring locations offshore (gravity Core site 1, GC2S1, and multi-Core site 1 tube 6, MCS1-T6) and inshore Maria Island in the mercury passage (multi-Core site 3 tube 2, MCS3-T2). GC2S1 and MCS3-T6 were collected adjacent to each other and are depicted as one dot. Map created in ODV (Schlitzer, R., ocean data view, https://odv.awi.de , 2018).

Sediment dating

ITRAX scanning, X-ray fluorescence, radiographic X-ray, optical imaging, and magnetic susceptibility measurements confirmed excellent undisturbed preservation of cores. Age profiles were generated for MCS3-T2 and MCS1-T6 based on 210 Pb measurements (8 and 6 dates, respectively); GC2S1 was based on both 210 Pb (7 dates) and 14 C (3 dates). A Bayesian age-depth model was constructed for each site using rbacon [ 31 ] on the R platform [ 32 ] with the SHCal20 curve for radiocarbon age calibration [ 33 ]. See Supplementary Material Note 1 , Supplementary Material Fig. 1 , and Supplementary Material Table 1 for details.

sed aDNA extractions

Extractions of sed aDNA from 42 sediment samples and 7 extraction blank controls (EBCs) were carried out in ultraclean ancient (GC2S1) and forensic (MCS1-T6, MCS3-T2) facilities at Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, University of Adelaide, following ancient DNA decontamination standards [ 34 ]. We used the “combined” protocol [ 30 , 35 ], which starts with incubation of a small subsample of 0.25 g of sediment in EDTA to isolate fragile eukaryote DNA [ 36 ], bead-beating to extract intracellular DNA from spores and cysts [ 28 ], and in-solution silica binding to target short DNA fragments (≥27 bp).

Shotgun and hybridization capture sequencing library preparations

Metagenomic shotgun libraries were prepared from 20 μl of DNA extract using established techniques to create indexed, double-stranded libraries [ 30 , 35 , 37 ]. Magnetic beads were used to purify and size select DNA fragments under 500 bp [ 35 ]. The libraries were sequenced using Illumina NextSeq (2 × 75–bp cycle) at the Australian Cancer Research Foundation Cancer Genomics Facility & Centre for Cancer Biology (Adelaide, Australia), and the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Kinghorn Centre for Clinical Genomics (Darlinghurst, Australia).

To maximise the sed aDNA yield from target dinoflagellates, hybridization capture with an RNA array (HABbaits1) targeting the harmful dinoflagellates in Alexandrium groups I–IV, G. catenatum and N. scintillans (see [ 30 ]). As input, we used at least ~ 50 ng of DNA in 7 μl, and 1 μl each of seven extraction blank controls in one “control-pool” of 7 μl. The hybridisation temperature was 65°C for the first 3 hours to favour highly specific binding, followed by a decrease to 60°C for another 37 hours of the hybridisation capture reaction. We prepared the beads by washing them twice with binding buffer and then adding binding buffer and 48 μl yeast tRNA (480 μg per 240 ml beads) in a third washing step, followed by brief vortexing and incubation of the solution on a rotary mixer (30 minutes, room temperature), pelleting on a magnetic rack, and two more washes with binding buffer. A final pool of 30 multiplexed sequencing libraries (2.75 nM) prepared from HABbaits1 (GC2S1 and MCS3-T2) were sequenced using Illumina HiSeq XTen (2 × 150– bp cycle) at the KCCG, Darlinghurst, Australia.

Data analysis

Bioinformatic processing of sequence data was performed according to published protocols [ 35 ], using software and analytical parameters from Armbrecht et al. [ 30 ]. After filtering to remove low-complexity and duplicate reads, each dataset was processed without the standardisation step (i.e. without rarefying) to retain the maximum number of reads, which is crucial for ancient DNA damage analysis (see below). We also standardised the filtered shotgun data by subsampling (i.e. rarefying) to the lowest number of reads detected in a sample (2.2 million detected using seqtk v1.2), but this process resulted in significant reduction in the number of reads ( Supplementary Material Note 2 and Supplementary Material Fig. 2 ). Please note that we used the words “reads” and “sequences” interchangeably throughout this study.

After quality control (FastQC v.0.11.4, MultiQC v1.8), the NCBI Nucleotide database ( ftp://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/blast/db/FASTA/nt.gz , downloaded November 2019) was used as the reference database to build a MALT index (Step 3) and sequences aligned using MALT (v0.4.0; semiglobal alignment) [ 38 ]. All resulting .blastn files were converted to .rma6 files using the Blast2RMA tool in MEGAN (v6_18_9, [ 39 ]). Subtractive filtering (i.e. subtracting reads for species identified in EBCs from samples) was conducted separately for the shotgun and HABbaits1 data [ 30 ]; however, no Dinophyceae taxa were detected in EBCs. For both datasets, read counts of all Dinophyceae nodes (from MEGAN6 v18.10) were exported for downstream analyses.

To assess sed aDNA damage, for our three target dinoflagellates, the “MALTExtract” and “Postprocessing” tools of the HOPS v0.33–2 pipeline [ 29 ] were run using the configurations of Armbrecht et al. [ 30 ]; e.g. taxalist “b” , including Alexandrium spp., Gymnodinium spp., and N. scintillans on shotgun and HABbaits1 sed aDNA data. The MALTExtract output, i.e. reads categorised as ancient (showing damage) or default (passing stringent filtering criteria but not showing damage) was exported and the proportion of sed aDNA damage per taxon determined. Damage profiles were generated using the MALTExtract Interactive Plotting Application (MEx-IPA, https://github.com/jfy133/MEx-IPA ); however, due to low read numbers these graphics were not informative and were excluded from further analyses.

To test the reliability of short-sequence sed aDNA assignments, we created three dummy sample datasets, each containing sequences of one of the three dinoflagellate groups downloaded from NCBI ( Supplementary Material Note 3 ). Each sequence was included with its complete length ( Supplementary Material Table 2 ) and split into 56-bp fragments (corresponding to the average sequence length of our filtered shotgun data, see Results). If the last fragment was <25 bp it was excluded from the dummy sample (mimicking a minimum cutoff of 25 bp during sample data processing). Dummy samples were converted from .fasta to .fastq files ( Supplementary Material Note 3 ) and processed via the same analytical pipeline used for samples.

Initial assessment of s ed aDNA assigned to G. catenatum indicated a significant proportion of sequences mapped to regions of the large subunit ribosomal RNA (LSU-rRNA) gene with limited database coverage of gymnodinoid dinoflagellates ( Supplementary Material Note 4 and Supplementary Material Figs 4 and 5 ). Due to the potential for reference bias, we undertook additional sequencing of the D3 to D10 region (~1850 bp) of the LSU-rRNA of related microreticulate species available to us, Gymnodinium microreticulatum (strain CAWD191) and G. nolleri (strain K-0626) ( Supplementary Material Note 4 ) and carried out detailed sequence validation. First, gymnodinoid-assigned reads were mapped to the G. catenatum reference sequence DQ785882, including comparative alignment with related Gymnodinium species (default alignment and assembly; Geneious Prime 2021). Direct match/mismatches to species in the alignment were used to determine the nearest-neighbour taxon and base-pair mismatches from the reference sequence for each read ( Supplementary Material Fig. 5 ). Second, all Gymnodinium reads assigned to G. catenatum after the initial NCBI run were re-run against an in-house Gymnodinium -focused reference sequence database that included newly generated G. microreticulatum and G. nolleri LSU-rRNA D3–D10 sequences ( Supplementary Material Note 5 ).

The inshore core MCS3-T2 was dated to 77 years before 1950 at 34.5 cm below seafloor (cmbsf), i.e. the year 1873 (mean value). The offshore gravity core GC2S1 dated to 8878 years before 1950 at 268 cmbsf (~8945 years before sample collection). Comparing the 210 Pb activity profiles from both GC2S1 and the adjacent multicore MCS1-T6, we estimated that ~3.5 cm were missing from the top of GC2S1, representing the last ~30 years ( Supplementary Material Fig. 1 ).

Validation of Alexandrium, Gymnodinium, and Noctiluca scintillans short-read species assignments

Dummy dataset analyses revealed that short Alexandrium spp. reads could only be reliably assigned to genus level ( Supplementary Material Note 3 , Supplementary Material Table 2 , Supplementary Material Fig. 3 ). Thus, we interpreted this taxon at genus level. For N. scintillans , the majority of dummy sequences were correctly assigned and back-mapped to the NCBI sequence used to create our dummy sample (GQ380592.1) or another N. scintillans 18S rRNA reference sequence (AF022200.1). Rare mis-assignments of short 18S rRNA reads from Alexandrium were made to Apicomplexa and Apocrita , and to Symbiodinium and Apocrita for N. scintillans . For G. catenatum , most dummy reads were correctly assigned, but a few 18S rRNA reads were erroneously assigned to the apicomplexan Eimeria , Streptophytina , Membracoidea , or dinoflagellates Durinskia baltica , Symbiodinium sp. AW-2009, and microreticulate relative G. microreticulatum , suggesting Gymnodinium species assignment of short 18S rRNA reads (<56 bp) should be interpreted with caution. In most cases assignment uncertainty could be resolved by further inspection and verification ( Supplementary Material Notes 4 and, 5 , Supplementary Material Figs 4 and 5 , Supplementary Material Tables 3 and 4).

Of a total of 352 HABbaits1 reads assigned to Gymnodinium from core GC2S1, 99% mapped to rRNA genes ( Supplementary Material Note 4 , Supplementary Material Fig. 5 ) and 97% were unambiguously assigned to microreticulate Gymnodinium species. More than half (56%) of the reads were closest to G. catenatum , with 36% unambiguously assigned to G. catenatum , 21% to rRNA regions in which we were unable to resolve G. catenatum from the closest relative G. nolleri , and 30% to regions with insufficient sequence variation to distinguish among microreticulate species ( Fig. 2 ).

Proportion of Gymnodinium sed aDNA fragments assigned to each microreticulate Gymnodinium species after fragment mapping to a reference alignments (see Supplementary Material Note 5 for details). Unresolved categories represent sed aDNA mapping to gene locations/regions with insufficient sequence variation for unambiguous assignment.

Re-assignment of Gymnnodinium reads using our in-house gymnodinoid-supplemented database improved microreticulate species resolution but resulted in more conservative species-level assignments than fragment mapping. Only 76% of reads could be assigned at the genus level, 28% to G. nolleri , 6% to G. microreticulatum , and 4% to G. catenatum ( Supplementary Material Note 5 , Supplementary Material Table 4 ).

Representation of Dinophyceae in shotgun data

From 42 shotgun samples we retrieved 824 503 filtered sequences across the three domains ( Bacteria , Archaea , and Eukaryota ), with 149 892 assigned to Eukaryota (18%). A total of 529 reads were assigned to Dinophyceae (0.06% of the domains and 0.35% of all eukaryotes). Harmful dinoflagellate sequences were detected in low abundance (19 Alexandrium , 13 Gymnodinium , and no Noctiluca sequences; Fig. 3 ). Alexandrium spp. were detected primarily in the upper 15 cmbsf at MCS3-T2 (last ~39 years) with few reads between 55 and 189 cmbsf at GC2S1 (~2600 and ~7200 years ago, respectively). Based on Alexandrium dummy data verification (see above) we conservatively assigned only to the genus level ( Fig. 3 ). Three shotgun sequences were assigned to the microreticulate Gymnodinium group in GC2S1 at 95 cmbsf (~4400 years ago), and 219 cmbsf (~7800 years ago) ( Fig. 3C ). Microreticulate gymnodinoids were not detected in younger sediments of GC2S1 but were present in the more recently deposited surface sediments of the shorter MCS1-T6 core ( Fig. 3B ).

Relative Dinophyceae abundance (shotgun). Dinophyceae detected in non-rarefied shotgun data at Maria Island coring sites (A) MCS3-T2, (B) MCS1-T6, and (C) GC2S1. All non-target taxa are grouped as Dinophyceae , while Alexandrium and Gymnodiniale s and its subgroups are shown separately. Identity of G. catenatum should be interpreted as representing all microreticulate Gymnodinium species, and the genus Alexandrium (see Section 3.2). N. scintillans was not detected in the shotgun data. Total read count (all sites): 529.

Representation of Dinophyceae using HABbaits1

Hybridisation capture with the HABbaits1 array resulted in 27 successfully enriched samples from GCS1 and MCS3-T2 with a total of 872 774 reads across the Bacteria , Archaea , and Eukaryota domains, of which 613 853 were assigned to Eukaryota (70%). A total of 32 075 of the eukaryote reads were assigned to Dinophyceae (i.e. 3.68% of all domains, and 5.23% of all eukaryotes), a 61- and 15-fold increase in Dinophyceae reads relative to shotgun data, demonstrating the efficacy of target enrichment achieved with HABbaits1.

Hybridisation capture identified N. scintillans , primarily in the upper section of MCS3-T2 (above 15 cmbsf), reaching maximum relative abundance (based on 59 sequences) at 6 and 12 cmbsf (~7 and ~15 years ago, i.e. around 2010 and 2002) ( Fig. 4A ). N. scintillans was also detected in the two top samples at GC2S1 (≤8 reads each, Fig. 4B ). Sequences of Alexandrium were most abundant at MCS3-T2, with maximum reads (854 sequences) found at 12 cmbsf (~190 years ago) from inshore core MCS3-T2 ( Fig. 4A ). Offshore at GC2S1, Alexandrium spp. were detected throughout the core at low abundance (<20 reads per sample) ( Fig. 4B ). A total of 352 reads were assigned to the microreticulate G. catenatum group at both MCS3-T2 and GC2S1, with a relatively high abundance (85 reads) inshore in MCS3-T2 2 cm (~2015). At GC2S1, microreticulate G. catenatum –group reads were sporadic and low abundance (≤22 reads) in the upper section (above 75 cmbsf; ~3500 years ago), and slightly more abundant (≤123 reads) below 169 cmbsf, ~6500 years ago ( Fig. 4B ). Verification of these 352  G. catenatum reads to the new Gymnodinium database provided 216 reads assigned to Gymnodinium spp. (all others remained unassigned). Most reads were assigned on genus level (165 reads) with 28, 14, and 9 assigned to G. nolleri , G. microreticulatum , and G. catenatum , respectively ( Fig. 5 ). Both G. microreticulatum and G. catenatum reads were primarily found in surface sediments at MCS3 and/or GC2S1 but were also sporadically in deeper samples at GC2S1 (e.g. 209 cmbsf, ~7638 years ago). Reads assigned to G. nolleri were identified sporadically throughout GCS1. ( Fig. 5 ).

Relative Dinophyceae abundance (HABbaits1). Dinophyceae detected in non-rarefied HABbaits1 data at Maria Island coring sites (A) MCS3-T2 and (B) GC2S1, with target taxa highlighted. Highlighted are Alexandrium spp., the microreticulate gymnodiniods and broader genus Gymnodinium spp., and N. scintillans within the broader group Noctilucales/ Noctiluca (total of 1 and 2 reads only, respectively). All other Dinophyceae are summarised, with Symbiodiniaceae shown separately due to potential misassignments with Gymnodinium or Noctiluca (see text). Total number of reads (both sites): 32075.

Microreticulate Gymnodinium species. Re-assignment of 352  Gymnodinium spp. at Site MCS3 (A) and GC2S1 (B) using an in-house Gymnodinium spp. database supplemented with additional microreticulate rRNA gene sequences. A total of 216 reads were assigned to genus and/or species level. The deepest sample at GC2S1 (267 cmbsf) should be interpreted with caution due to potential seawater contamination during core retrieval.

While all three target dinoflagellate taxa were detected at low abundance in the deepest sample ( Fig. 4B ) we cannot rule out the possibility of seawater contamination of the bottom core sample during core retrieval. Dummy sample validation also indicates that shorter Gymnodinium and Noctiluca sequences may be misassigned to Symbiodinium (see Supplementary Material Note 3 ), increasing relative abundance of these taxa by ~1% ( Fig. 4 ).

sed aDNA damage analysis and authentication

Application of the HOPS DNA damage analysis to HABbaits1 data at site MCS3-T2 identified 30, 4, and 1 reads with ancient characteristics (signs of DNA damage) for Alexandrium , G. catenatum , and N. scintillans , respectively ( Fig. 6 , Table 1 ). At site GC2S1, 22, 95, and 11 “ancient” reads were identified for Alexandrium , G. catenatum , and N. scintillans , respectively ( Fig. 6 , Table 1 ). A relatively high number of reads passed the default filtering criteria in HOPS ( Table 1 ), and 2% and 15% of the Alexandrium reads were classified as ancient in MCS3-T2 and GC2S1, respectively ( Fig. 6 ). For microreticulate species, 4% and 27% of reads were classified as ancient in MCS3-T2 and GC2S1, respectively. For N. scintillans , 0.5% and 18% were classified as ancient ( Table 1 , Fig. 6 ). Target dinoflagellate reads in older sediments at offshore GC2S1 showed much more sed aDNA damage than younger inshore sediments at MCS3-T2.

Ancient and default reads identified for three target HAB taxa in MCS3-T2 and GC2S1. Shown are the proportion of sed aDNA reads classified by HOPS analysis as ancient and default (% DNA damage) per sample based on the HABbaits1 capture sequences. The number of reads underlying these proportions are indicated within the bars.

sed aDNA damage of reads assigned to Alexandrium genus, Gymnodinium catenatum -group and N. scintillans .

The total number and proportion of reads classified into ancient and default via HOPS sed aDNA damage analysis per site (based on HABbaits1). The proportion of ancient reads is a measure of “% sed aDNA damage” for each of the three species (in italics).

Our analysis shows that ancient dinoflagellate DNA from the genera Alexandrium and Gymnodinium is preserved in marine sediment for thousands of years. In contrast, N. scintillans DNA was detected primarily in recent sediments. An up to 60-fold enrichment of dinoflagellate sequences achieved by hybridisation capture with HABbaits1 arrays demonstrated the value of this approach for HAB-focused sed aDNA studies. Additional optimisation of hybridisation temperature and time [ 40 , 41 ], with increased sequencing depth, will make it possible to maximise the ancient DNA yield of individual marine species over millennial timescales.

Considerations for interpretation of Alexandrium , Gymnodinium , and Noctiluca sed aDNA detection

Due to the short length of ancient DNA reads (mean ~56 bp; shotgun data post-filtering), we expected a degree of uncertainty in assignment to reference sequences at a species level. However, our dummy marker gene fragment dataset runs demonstrated the value and importance of validating species assignment on a taxon-by-taxon basis.

For Alexandrium , the dummy sample analyses indicated that short sequences could not be confidently assigned to species, resulting in a more appropriate genus-level interpretation. In Tasmanian waters, this genus includes Alexandrium. affine , A. australiense , A. catenella , A. margalefi , A. ostenfeldii , A. pacificum , and A. pseudogonyaulax [ 1 , 42 , 43 ]. Further optimisation of RNA bait design and capture and/or gene assembly to generate longer DNA fragments may resolve this complex at the species or even regional genotype level to provide valuable information on the history and distribution of the toxic members of this genus.

The uniquely monospecific nature of the Noctiluca genus [ 44 ] allowed more confident species level assignments for N. scintillans . The few mis-assignments noted were 18S rRNA sequences ( Supplementary Material Note 3 , Supplementary Material Fig. 3 ), reinforcing conclusions that this gene is too conserved for confident species-level assignment on the basis of the short dinoflagellate reads typical of sed aDNA. While the HABbaits1 array included multiple markers for Tasmanian HAB dinoflagellates, baits focused on LSU-rRNA and ITS proved here to be more effective and provide higher confidence in species-level assignment of sed aDNA from this region and other locations [ 27 ].

While high-confidence species assignment was possible for the five microreticulate gymnodinoids, resolution was partly dependent on both fragment length and gene region/location of sed aDNA reads. The net effect is that only a third of microreticulate reads could be unambiguously assigned, but the reads that were assigned at the species level using the Gymnodinium -only database are robust. Our use of back-mapping of the ancient reads to reference alignments particularly highlights the potential for assignment artefacts arising from limited database coverage. Robust species assignments to G. catenatum were possible only after addition of new D3–D10 LSU-rRNA reference sequences, which also allowed detection of the non-toxic species G. microreticulatum and G. nolleri . The former is uncommon but widely distributed in both Australian and Tasmanian waters [ 45 , 46 ], but the latter has not been previously identified from the Australasian region by microscopy. While G. nolleri appears confined primarily to coastal European waters [ 7 ], this species may be distributed widely but be rare/cryptic in Tasmanian waters.

Surprisingly, we observed very few exact sequence matches to G. catenatum reference sequence DQ785882 despite being in regions with sufficient variation to distinguish it from the most closely related G. nolleri and G. microreticulatum . Reference sequence DQ785882 was derived from a Korean G. catenatum isolate, therefore, the observed differences may partly be attributed to global variations in rRNA sequence of G. catenatum (e.g. [ 1 ]). Furthermore, dinoflagellate genomes possess many thousands to millions of rRNA gene loci [ 47 ], considerable intra-genomic sequence heterogeneity [ 48 , 49 ], multiple sequence classes and the presence of pseudogenes [ 50 ]. As a result, the single nucleotide variation we noted among sed aDNA reads perhaps stems from the sed aDNA pipeline faithfully retaining mutations present at different rRNA loci in the original genomes.

Analysing DNA damage as a means to assess the authenticity of the ancient sequences recovered for the three target taxa, showed that the percentage of sed aDNA damage was low (≤4%) at the inshore site MCS3-T2. This is consistent with the earlier studies showing that eukaryote sed aDNA damage is very low in the upper ~35 cm of sediment at this site [ 30 ]. At GC2S1 (longer offshore core), the increased sed aDNA damage observed (up to 27% for G. catenatum ) indicate sequences recovered from Alexandrium , microreticulate gymnodinoids and N. scintillans are consistent with authentic seda DNA, except for bottom core samples potentially contaminated by seawater during core retrieval.

Alexandrium

The distribution of Alexandrium sed aDNA reads throughout the offshore core indicates that Alexandrium has been present in the area during the past ~9000 years. The HABbaits1 data indicate relative abundance has remained low offshore (<3%) but show a recent increase in relative abundance in inshore waters from ~15 years ago before sampling (circa 2003). The patterns of abundance observed in sed aDNA mirror trends observed in microscopy-based counts of Alexandrium resting cysts from the same cores (high/low Alexandrium cyst concentrations in the top 45 cmbsf at MCS3-T2/throughout GC2S1 [ 51 ]), with the trend of increased sed aDNA damage with depth (especially at GC2S1) supporting the authenticity of the ancient reads.

Alexandrium species can be prolific producers of resting cysts (approximately 40% of vegetative cells [ 52 ]). Live resting cysts are resistant to chemical and biological attack, protecting DNA from degradation during transport to the bottom sediment. Some cysts can remain dormant but viable in anoxic sediments for >100 years [ 53 ], indicating functional and undegraded DNA survival for centuries. The relative abundance patterns in our data support the view that toxic Alexandrium species ( A. catenella and A. pacificum ) are endemic but cryptic low-abundance species not previously distinguished from morphologically identical A. australiense . The recent increase in their relative abundance in inshore core samples also supports the view that toxic blooms detected from 2012 onwards have been stimulated by climate-induced changes in environmental conditions [ 10 ].

Gymnodinium catenatum and microreticulate species

The HABbaits1 array detected microreticulate gymnodinoid sequences, including G. catenatum , from the most recent sediments (MCS1 2 cmbsf, year ~2015), in both inshore and offshore cores, but our refined and verified species assignments detected G. catenatum sed aDNA sporadically through offshore core GC2S1 (5, 20, 50, and 209 cmbsf, corresponding to ~100, ~700, ~2300, and ~7638 years ago). When sampled in 1987, G. catenatum represented 1% of total dinoflagellate cysts in surface sediments of Spring Bay, close to the inshore core site MCS3 [ 45 ]. However, no G. catenatum sed aDNA was detected at MCS3-T2 15 cmbsf (~30 years ago). It is possible that our sampling intervals missed this sediment layer.

The sed aDNA evidence extends the likely presence of this species well beyond the proposed 1970s introduction derived from cyst abundance in dated cores from the neighbouring Huon River [ 2 ]. Instead, our data indicates G. catenatum is more likely endemic but previously cryptic. While rDNA-ITS sequence polymorphisms indicate a link between Australasian populations and the Seto Inland Sea in Japan [ 1 ], our findings favour proposed alternative hypotheses: either (i) that recent dispersal between these areas could equally have been from Australasia to Japan, or (ii) that the rDNA polymorphisms are part of a wider global biogeographical pattern of natural dispersal over many thousands of years [ 1 ]. While the number of verified G. catenatum reads (9) was very low, the unambiguous identification highlights the known problem of overlooking low-abundance cryptic species or rare cyst types when traditional microscopy is used for detection. A companion palynological survey of the same sediment samples recorded only 3 microreticulate cysts among 4273 dinocysts counted, all were confined to the surface samples from 0 to 30 cmbsf of MCS3-T2 [ 51 ].

Noctiluca scintillans

The HABbaits1 approach confirmed the presence of N. scintillans inshore of Maria Island over the last ~30 years, and traces of this dinoflagellate in recently deposited sediments offshore (surface and 5 cmbsf; <100 years old). The highest inshore relative abundances of N. scintillans were in the most recent sediments (from 2010 onwards; 6 and 12 cmbsf), indicating blooms occurred within this timeframe. This is consistent with previous plankton records indicating that N. scintillans was first detected in Tasmania in 1994 and that blooms have increased in both frequency and intensity from 2010 [ 11 ].

To our knowledge, the study reported here is the first to authenticate the presence of N. scintillans sed aDNA in sediment from a coastal ecosystem, demonstrating the sensitivity of the HABbaits1 approach for detecting plankton community change of fragile non-fossilising species from the marine sediment record. The absence of N. scintillans sed aDNA from older sediments (>100 years) offshore indicates that DNA of this soft-bodied dinoflagellate likely does not preserve well in marine sediments and/or may be considerably degraded during descent through the 104-m water column ( Supplementary Material Note 6 , Supplementary Material Fig. 6 ). Future sed aDNA investigations could target sediment cores from inshore coastal New South Wales around Sydney, where this species has been present for much longer. The application of similar methods to the putative range expansion of green Noctiluca (with green algal symbionts) into the Arabian Sea [ 44 ] would also be of considerable interest.

We are grateful to Brian Brunelle from Arbor Biosciences, USA, for his expert assistance with designing the HABbaits1 capture array. We thank Oscar Estrada-Santamaria, Steve Richards, Holly Heiniger, Nicole Moore, and Steve Johnson for their help and advice during DNA extractions, library preparation, and hybridization capture. We are grateful to Raphael Eisenhofer, Vilma Pérez, Yassine Souilmi, Yichen Liu, and Ron Hübler for their help with bioinformatic analyses. We thank the Marine National Facility, the crew of RV Investigator voyage IN2018_T02 and the scientific voyage team for their support during field work. We thank Mr Shikder Saiful Islam (IMAS, University of Tasmania) for generating additional rRNA gene sequencing from microreticulate species of Gymnodinium . We thank Henk Heijnis (ANSTO) for logistical support and his contributions to secure funding for this project.

L.A. designed and carried out sed aDNA laboratory work, bioinformatic analyses and coordinated the manuscript writing. G.H., C.B., and C.W. collected and provided the core samples. B.P. carried out dinocysts analyses. L.A., G.H. and B.P. wrote the first draft of the manuscript. C.B. led the supplementary Gymnodinium rRNA gene sequencing, carried out reference sequence alignments, sed aDNA fragment mapping, species assignment validation and additional figures, and revised subsequent manuscript drafts. C.W. provided sediment core dating. A.C. contributed guidance on hybridization capture design and ancient DNA analyses. A.C., G.H., A.M., and C.B. developed the conceptual approach and secured funding for the project. All co-authors contributed to writing, data interpretation, comment and revision on manuscript drafts, and final editing before submission for publication.

The authors declare that there are no competing financial interests in relation to the work described.

This study was funded through the Australian Research Council [ARC Discovery Project DP170102261]. Additionally, this research was supported by a grant of sea time on RV Investigator from the CSIRO Marine National Facility ( https://ror.org/01mae9353 ) [2018 MNF Grant H0025318]. A.C. was funded by ARC Laureate Fellowship FL140100260. LA was supported by an Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Early Career Researcher (DECRA) Fellowship (DE210100929).

The demultiplexed raw sequencing data (shotgun and hybridisation capture with HABBaits1) analysed during this study are publicly available via the NCBI Sequence Read Archive (SRA) under BioProject ID: PRJNA1133055 (“Maria Island (Tasmania, Australia) sed aDNA, Jun 17 ‘24”; BioSample accession numbers SAMN42375555–SAMN42375603).

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Dela-Cruz J , Middleton JH , Suthers IM . Population growth and transport of the red tide dinoflagellate, Noctiluca scintillans , in the coastal waters off Sydney Australia, using cell diameter as a tracer . Limnol Oceanogr 2003 ; 48 : 656 – 74 . https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.2003.48.2.0656

McLeod DJ , Hallegraeff GM , Hosie GW et al.  Climate driven range expansion of the red-tide dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans into the Southern Ocean . J Plankton Res 2012 ; 34 : 332 – 7 . https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbr112

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John U , Litaker RW , Montresor M et al.  Formal revision of the Alexandrium tamarense species complex (Dinophyceae) taxonomy: the introduction of five species with emphasis on molecular-based (rDNA) classification . Protist 2014 ; 165 : 779 – 804 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.protis.2014.10.001

John U , Alperman T , Nagai S. et al.  Detailed insights into Alexandrium catenella (Dinophyceae) (group 1 genotype) population structure and evolution. In: The 18th International Conference on Harmful Algae, Abstract Book , Nantes, France , 2018 , Abstract P-057, p. 324. Nantes, France, ICHA, 2018. https://issha.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/ICHA-2018_Abstract-Book.pdf

Armbrecht L . The potential of sedimentary ancient DNA to reconstruct past ocean ecosystems . Oceanography 2020 ; 33 : 116 – 23 . https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2020.211

Bolch CJS . Impact of molecular approaches on dinoflagellate taxonomy and systematics. In: Clementson L. , Eriksen R. , Willis A. (eds.), Advances in Phytoplankton Ecology: Applications of Emerging Technologies . Amsterdam : Elsevier , 2022 , 81 – 117 . https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-822861-6.00010-8

Shaw LA , Weyrich LS , Hallegraeff GM et al.  Retrospective eDNA assessment of potentially harmful algae in historical ship ballast tank and marine port sediments . Mol Ecol 2019 ; 28 : 2476 – 85 . https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.15055

Hübler R , Key FM , Warinner C et al.  HOPS: automated detection and authentication of pathogen DNA in archaeological remains . Genome Biol 2019 ; 20 : 1 – 13 .

Armbrecht L , Hallegraeff G , Bolch CJS et al.  Hybridisation capture allows DNA damage analysis of ancient marine eukaryotes . Sci Rep 2021 ; 11 : 3220 . https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-82578-6

Blaauw M, Christen JA. Flexible paleoclimate age-depth models using an autoregressive gamma process. Bayesian Analysis 2011; 6 :457–474. https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=rbacon .

R Core Team . R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computin g . Vienna, Austria URL : R Foundation for Statistical Computing , 2013 , http://www.R-project.org/ .

Hogg AG , Heaton TJ , Hua Q et al.  SHCal20 southern hemisphere calibration, 0–55,000 years cal BP . Radiocarbon 2020 ; 62 : 759 – 78 . https://doi.org/10.1017/RDC.2020.59

Willerslev E , Cooper A . Ancient DNA . Proc R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2005 ; 272 : 3 – 16 .

Armbrecht L , Herrando-Pérez S , Eisenhofer R et al.  An optimized method for the extraction of ancient eukaryote DNA from marine sediments . Mol Ecol Resour 2020 ; 20 : 906 – 19 . https://doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.13162

Slon V , Hopfe C , Weiß CL et al.  Neandertal and Denisovan DNA from Pleistocene sediments . Science 2017 ; 356 : 605 – 8 . https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aam9695

Meyer M , Kircher M . Illumina sequencing library preparation for highly multiplexed target capture and sequencing. Cold Spring Harb Protoc 2010 ; 2010 :pdb.prot5448. https://doi.org/10.1101/pdb.prot5448

Herbig A , Maixner F , Bos KI et al.  MALT: fast alignment and analysis of metagenomic DNA sequence data applied to the Tyrolean iceman . BioRxiv 2016 ; 050559 .

Huson DH , Beier S , Flade I et al.  MEGAN Community edition—interactive exploration and analysis of large-scale microbiome sequencing data . PLoS Comput Biol 2016 ; 12 : e1004957 . https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1004957

Horn S . Target enrichment via DNA hybridization capture. In: Shapiro B. , Hofreiter M. (eds.), Ancient DNA, Methods and Protocol s . New York, Dordrecht, Heidelberg, London : Springer , 2012 , 177 – 88 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-516-9_21

MyBaits . Manual v.4.01—Hybridization Capture for Targeted NG S , Arbor Biosciences, 2018 ; 9 . https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2018.03153 .

Hallegraeff GM , Bolch CJ , Blackburn SI et al.  Species of the toxigenic dinoflagellate genus Alexandrium in Southeastern Australian waters . Bot Mar 1991 ; 34 : 575 – 87 .

Ruvindy R , Bolch CJ , MacKenzie L et al.  qPCR assays for the detection and quantification of multiple paralytic shellfish toxin-producing species . Front Microbiol 2018 ;9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2018.03153

Gómez F , Moreira D , López-Garcia P . Molecular phylogeny of noctilucoid dinoflagellates (Noctilucales, Dinophyceae) . Protist 2010 ; 161 : 466 – 78 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.protis.2009.12.005

Bolch CJ , Hallegraeff GM . Dinoflagellate cysts in recent marine sediments from Tasmania, Australia . Bot Mar 1990 ; 33 : 173 – 92 . https://doi.org/10.1515/botm.1990.33.2.173

Bolch CJ , Reynolds MJ . Species resolution and global distribution of microreticulate dinoflagellate cysts . J Plankton Res 2002 ; 24 : 565 – 78 . https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/24.6.565

Ruvindy R , Barua A , Bolch CJS et al.  Genomic copy number variability at the genus, species and population levels impacts in situ ecological analyses of dinoflagellates and harmful algal blooms . ISME Comm 2023 ; 3 : 70 . https://doi.org/10.1038/s43705-023-00274-0

Gribble KE , Anderson DM . Molecular phylogeny of the heterotrophic dinoflagellates, Protoperidinium , Diplopsalis and Preperidinium (Dinophyceae), inferred from large subunit rDNA . J Phycol 2006 ; 42 : 1081 – 95 . https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1529-8817.2006.00267.x

Miranda LN , Zhuang Y , Zhang H et al.  Phylogenetic analysis guided by intragenomic SSU rDNA polymorphism refines classification of “ Alexandrium tamarense ” species complex . Harmful Algae 2012 ; 16 : 35 – 48 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2012.01.002

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Paine B , Armbrecht L , Bolch C et al.  Dinoflagellate cyst distribution over the past 9 kyrs BP on the east coast Tasmania, Southeast Australia . Palynology 2023 ; 8 : 2273267 .

Anderson DM , Keafer BA , Kleindist JL et al.  Alexandrium fundyense cysts in the Gulf of Maine: long-term time series of abundance and distribution, and linkages to past and future blooms . Deep Sea Research Part 2 Topical Studies in Oceanography 2014 ; 103 : 6 – 26 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2013.10.002

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Research Roadmap

The Research Roadmap represents our ambition to create change across the varied dimensions of research and innovation, and seeks to identify what needs to be done to enhance our research leadership and impact.

The Roadmap was developed as an outcome of the  UQ Strategic Plan 2022-2025 . It reflects a core purpose of the University, to advance knowledge and to generate innovative solutions to the complex challenges of contemporary society, and aligns with the  Toward 2032 decadal strategy.

"Through our commitment to conducting brilliant discovery research and collaborating with our partners to translate our research discoveries, we seek to not only create new knowledge but share it in ways that enrich our communities, our economy, and the environment." Toward 2032: UQ Strategic Plan 2022–2025

Actions arising from the Roadmap will enable us to meet changing expectations in research through a commitment to a vibrant and supportive research culture along with first-class infrastructure and resources to support our researchers and research students.

The Roadmap will help position UQ as a research powerhouse, delivering advances in knowledge and creating public value for community, industry and government. As we look to meet the challenges of the future and seize new opportunities, we encourage you to engage with the Roadmap and to support its aim of enabling the University to continue to be a nexus of excellence in research and innovation, both nationally and globally.

Download the Research Roadmap (PDF, 1.43 MB)

Roadmap framework

The Roadmap is comprised of 4 intersecting pillars that underpin our continuing vision to continue to produce world-leading research. The purpose of the Roadmap is to reflect on UQ’s current research support, collaboration, infrastructure and culture, and propose what the UQ research enterprise will look like over the next 10 years.

Researchers and research culture

• Researcher development
• Research culture
• Responsible research

Research and innovation enabling capabilities

• Functions supporting research
• Research quality and impact
• Mobilising IP towards commercialisation

Research infrastructure, systems and precincts

• Research infrastructure
• Research management systems

Research investment and cross-disciplinary collaboration

• Facilitation of collaboration among researchers
• Mission-oriented collaborative framework
• Research investment

Guides for staff

If you're a UQ staff member, you can download the implementation guide for each pillar of the Roadmap.

View staff implementation guides (staff login required)

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Degree type

Closing date.

18 July 2022

Citizenship requirement

Domestic / International

About the research project

Primary supervisor.

Applicants will be considered for a Research Training Program (RTP) scholarship or Tasmania Graduate Research Scholarship (TGRS) which, if successful, provides:

• a living allowance stipend of $28,854 per annum (2022 rate, indexed annually) for 3.5 years
• a relocation allowance of up to $2,000
• a tuition fees offset covering the cost of tuition fees for up to four years (domestic applicants only)

If successful, international applicants will receive a University of Tasmania Fees Offset for up to four years.

As part of the application process you may indicate if you do not wish to be considered for scholarship funding.

Other funding opportunities and fees

For further information regarding other scholarships on offer, and the various fees of undertaking a research degree, please visit Scholarships and fees .

Eligibility

Applicants should review the Higher Degree by Research minimum entry requirements .

Ensure your eligibility for the scholarship round by referring to our Key Dates .

Selection Criteria

The project is competitively assessed and awarded.  Selection is based on academic merit and suitability to the project as determined by the College.

Application process

• Select your project, and check that you meet the eligibility and selection criteria, including citizenship;
• Contact to discuss your suitability and the project's requirements; and
• Copy and paste the title of the project from this advertisement into your application. If you don’t correctly do this your application may be rejected.
• Submit a signed supervisory support form, a CV including contact details of 2 referees and your project research proposal.
• Apply prior to 18 July 2022.

Full details of the application process can be found under the ' How to apply ' section at  Research degrees .

Following the closing date applications will be assessed within the College. Applicants should expect to receive notification of the outcome by email by the advertised outcome date.

Apply now Explore other projects

Why the University of Tasmania?

Worldwide reputation for research excellence, quality supervision and support, tasmania offers a unique study lifestyle experience.

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Study with us

We make sure that every student has a hands-on education that’s filled with adventure.

• Study with us overview
• Applying to university overview
• Admission requirements
• Application dates
• Starting at the University overview
• Accepting and enrolling
• Orientation and settling in
• Find your course overview
• Undergraduate courses
• Postgraduate courses
• Double degrees
• Online courses
• Research degrees
• Short courses
• Pathways to university
• Where study meets sustainability
• Learning abroad
• Scholarships, fees and costs
• Our accommodation
• International students
• Our agent partners

There’s more to uni than studying. Learn how you can connect with new people through events, sports, volunteering opportunities, and more.

• Uni life overview
• Our campuses overview
• Cradle Coast
• Transforming our University
• Experience Tasmania
• Our accommodation overview
• Support and wellbeing
• Clubs and societies
• Sport at the University
• Aboriginal students - Riawunna Centre
• Our research

We are proud of our research excellence, which delivers impact for and from Tasmania.

• Our research overview
• Discover our expertise
• Research partnerships & innovation
• Research support
• Research institutes and centres
• Research facilities and infrastructure
• Research stories and insights
• Research degrees overview
• What is a research degree?
• Scholarships and fees
• Available projects
• Apply to become a research student

For community & partners

We pride ourselves on forming deep connections, collaborating not just with one another, but with local industry, schools, and everyone who calls our island home.

• For community & partners overview
• Community and public engagement
• For schools overview
• Subscribe for student activities updates
• Aboriginal networks and resources overview
• Aboriginal Business
• For alumni overview
• News and publications
• Giving overview
• Donate to the University
• Donate to scholarships
• Arts and cultural collections
• Partner with us overview
• Educational partnerships
• Business, industry, and government partnerships
• Tasmanian Policy Exchange

Tasmania is an island of creative and curious minds. No matter where you join us from, you’ll become part of a welcoming and collaborative community.

• About us overview
• Governance, leadership and strategy
• Sustainability
• Inclusion, diversity and equity
• Public reporting
• Lutruwita Aboriginal Tasmania
• Our colleges and schools
• Safety, security and wellbeing
• News and stories
• Events overview
• Our Open Day events
• Graduation ceremonies
• Working at the University overview
• Current job opportunities
• Casual registration
• Applying to work with us
• Contact us overview
• Raising concerns and complaints

How can we help you?

I'm interested in, are you an international student.

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Scholarships and fees for research degrees.

The main type of financial support available to graduate research candidates is in the form of scholarships.

• Research institutes and centres overview
• Centre for Renewable Energy and Power Systems
• Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood overview
• Our education
• Consulting services
• Latest news and stories
• Institute for Social Change
• Available projects overview
• Antarctic and Southern Ocean PhD projects
• Climate Change PhD projects
• Collaboration opportunities
• Frequently asked questions
• Graduate research resources
• Current candidates (login)
• Research support overview
• Research Ethics overview
• Human Research Ethics

Scholarships are allocated competitively based on academic merit, experience, prior learning and other relevant attainments. Priority is given to new candidates in strategic research areas.

There are scholarships available to cover some or all the following;

• living allowance
• tuition fees
• relocation allowance

Major scholarships

The Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) scholarships and the Tasmania Graduate Research Scholarship (TGRS) are awarded throughout the year to high quality international and domestic candidates. The RTP scholarship and TGRS rate for 2024 is $32,192pa.

If you are considering applying for a scholarship please review the college specific scholarship closing dates for each round, noting whether the round is open to domestic and/or international applications.

Awarded competitively to students of exceptional research potential to assist with living costs while undertaking a Higher Degree by Research. Living Allowance

AUD $32,192 per annum (2024 rate). This rate is indexed annually on 1 st January.

Standard Duration

PhD: 3.5 years with no extension available. It is important to be aware that the duration of the scholarship is less than the maximum length of candidature which is 4 years.

Masters: 2 years with no extension available.

Tuition Fees

International: Unless a Tuition Fee Scholarship has been awarded, international HDR candidates are charged tuition fees for the duration of their research degree. International candidates pay an annual fee, please see the tuition fee rates (per annum) for 2024 (PDF 184.0 KB) .

Domestic : The RTP Fees Offset covers tuition fees for domestic candidates enrolled in a research degree for the duration of the course with no extension available. The value of an RTP Fee Offsets is equivalent to the tuition fee rates (per annum) for 2024 (PDF 184.0 KB)

Relocation Allowance

The RTP Allowance can assist with costs associated with relocating to Tasmania to undertake a Higher Degree by Research up to AUD $2,000.

Eligibility & Conditions of Award

For detailed information about eligibility and conditions of award please see the University;

• Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship Domestic Conditions of Award (PDF 86.0 KB) or
• Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship International Conditions of Award (PDF 77.3 KB)

Please Note: The RTP Scholarship does not cover costs and fees, such as the Student Services and Amenities Fee , Overseas Health Cover, and visa costs. These are the candidate's responsibility.

For further information please see the Department of Education, Skills and Employment Research Training Program website.

Tasmania Graduate Research Scholarships are available across all research disciplines at the University of Tasmania and will be awarded to applicants with demonstrated research ability.

Living Allowance

The TGRS provides an allowance to assist with costs associated with relocating to Tasmania to undertake a Higher Degree by Research up to AUD $2,000.

• Tasmania Graduate Research Scholarship (TGRS) Domestic Conditions of Award (PDF 72.2 KB) or
• Tasmania Graduate Research Scholarship (TGRS) International Conditions of Award (PDF 68.4 KB)

Please Note: The TGRS does not cover costs and fees, such as the Student Services and Amenities Fee , Overseas Health Cover, and visa costs. These are the candidate's responsibility.

Prestigious domestic scholarships

This scholarship aims to address gender inequities in STEM through fostering more women and non-binary led industry-academia collaborations in applied research and business, growing professional skills of women in STEM and propelling women and non-binary people into leadership.

The Elevate program provides:

• A scholarship
• Access to events and networking
• Wellbeing support during scholars’ university studies

Value and Duration

This Scholarship provides up to $130,000 over 3.5 years

Closing date

• 30 August 2024: Submission of application to Elevate
• 01 October 2024: Submission of application to UTAS for a research degree

Eligibility

Please refer to the Elevate  website for information on eligibility requirements.

Application Process

Domestic applications for the 2025 Elevate Scholarship round are now open.

Applications for this Scholarship must be submitted via the Elevate  website by 30 August 2024 .

Applicants who intend to apply for this Scholarship must also visit the University of Tasmania’s Apply Now website and complete an application. At the end of the application, within the Comment field, please advise that you are also applying for the Elevate Scholarship.

A note regarding eligibility requirements and University Round timing:

Eligibility requirements for this Scholarship specify a 2025 commencement (with a 01 January 2025 to 31 July 2025 commencement period). To ensure there is evidence of your intention to undertake a research degree, please apply to the University, or contact [email protected] with your intention to apply for candidature, at the same time as applying for the Elevate Scholarship.

More information

For more information on this Scholarship, please visit the Elevate website, or email  [email protected]

This scholarship honours the life and work of the late Japanangka errol West, an internationally recognised poet and scholar. Japanangka errol was a leading Tasmanian Aboriginal academic, known for his scholarship in the field of Indigenous methodologies and pedagogies.

The scholarship provides over $50,000pa for 3.5 years including a base stipend at the RTP rate of $32,192pa (2024 rate indexed annually) plus a $24,144pa top-up (2024 rate ).

01 October 2024

The following eligibility criteria apply to this scholarship:

Applicants must:

• be eligible to enrol in a full time Masters or Doctoral degree at the University of Tasmania in 2023, and
• not be receiving an equivalent award, scholarship or salary to undertake the proposed program (equivalent being defined as greater than 75% of the stipend), an
• is of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent;
• identifies as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person; and
• is accepted as such by the community in which he or she lives or has lived
• complete the declaration of Aboriginality.

*These scholarships are subject to Exemption 13/09/033 that permits advertising for and awarding of the scholarships to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates only.

Selection Criteria

The project is competitively assessed and awarded.  Selection is based on academic merit and suitability to the project as determined by the College and the UTAS Indigenous Student Success Program (ISSP) committee.

The scholarship is funded by the University of Tasmania and the Indigenous Student Success Program (ISSP).

Applicants may:

• apply for an advertised HDR project listed on the Available Projects webpage; or,
• contact the Office of Aboriginal Leadership for assistance in seeking a Supervisor to develop your own project

In your application, please indicate under Scholarship Support that you wish to be considered for a UTAS merit-based scholarship for a living allowance, as well as Japanangka errol West Graduate Research Scholarship.

After submitting your application for candidature, please contact [email protected] with your name, application ID number and the name of the scholarship you have applied for.

Please contact the Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor of Aboriginal Leadership for further information regarding Higher Degrees by Research (HDR):  [email protected]

Commencing in 2018 , this program seeks to strengthen Aboriginal engagement at the University of Tasmania by providing opportunity for senior Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to undertake higher degree research projects of importance to Aboriginal communities, particularly the  palawa  people of Tasmania. It provides a supportive pathway for Indigenous research, offering supervision from experienced Aboriginal researchers tailored to the individual needs of the candidate, ongoing skill-development workshops, and a generous stipend for the duration of the candidature (3.5 years for PhD, 2 years for MRes).

Topics which may be undertaken include, but are not restricted to: biographies and histories of Aboriginal people; organisations or communities; language; health; law; social or economic development; land; sea and; cultural resource management.

The scholarship provides over $50,000pa for 3.5 years for a Doctoral degree, or 2 years for a Masters of Research degree.

• be eligible to enrol in a full time Masters or Doctoral degree at the University of Tasmania in 2024, and
• not be receiving an equivalent award, scholarship or salary to undertake the proposed program (equivalent being defined as greater than 75% of the stipend), and
• Doctoral applicants, completed at least four years of tertiary education studies, and must have achieved at least an upper second class Honours degree or hold equivalent qualifications or relevant and substantial research experience in an appropriate sector, or
• Masters by Research applicants, completed at least four years of tertiary education studies, and must have achieved at least lower second class Honours degree or hold equivalent qualifications or relevant and substantial research experience in an appropriate sector, and
• demonstrate evidence of leadership or significant contribution to Aboriginal community development and undertake a research topic that is of benefit to Tasmania Aboriginal people or community development, and

The project is competitively assessed and awarded.  Selection is based on academic, professional, and/or community merit, and suitability to the project as determined by the College and the UTAS Indigenous Student Success Program (ISSP) committee.

The scope and value of the research proposal (see the Research Plan Guide below) encompasses 3 criteria:

• The extent to which the research will add value to the chosen field.
• The extent it will add value to community.
• The extent to which the research is viable.

The scholarship is funded by the University of Tasmania and the  Indigenous Student Success Program (ISSP).

Drafting and Submitting Your Application

There are a number of stages that are required in order to prepare and submit your application, a checklist for this process may be found  here (DOCX 23.0 KB) .

The first task is to formulate a research topic and project which is relevant to Aboriginal communities and is appropriately sized to the selected program (PhD or MRes, for the difference please see  here ). Within this stage it is important to both align your research topic to a relevant discipline (e.g. sociology or history), consider which methods and methodology to be adopted (e.g. surveys, quantitative or qualitative) and ensure it is achievable within the time allotted time period (not too large or small).

We advise speaking with the HDR Support Person from the Office of the Pro-Vice Chancellor for Aboriginal Leadership (see below for contact details) or an academic known to you who may be able to assist you in this regard.

For the application process itself, there this an initial expression of interest to submit and, if this is approved, you may then prepare your research proposal and application (see  Apply Now ). The research proposal is a short two-page pitch for your project, outlining why it is important, how it will be undertaken and what it will seek to achieve. A set of resources are provided below to assist you to complete your proposal, including some proposals for research completed by Aboriginal researchers at the University of Tasmania. For further information, we recommend  Social Research Methods edited by Distinguished Professor Maggie Walter.

After submitting your application for candidature, please contact  [email protected] with your name, application ID number and the name of the scholarship you have applied for.

Proposal resources

• --> --> --> --> Senior Indigenous Research Plan Guide (MS Word Document, 804.6 KB)
• --> --> --> --> Senior Indigenous Proposal A (MS Word Document, 827.2 KB)
• --> --> --> --> Senior Indigenous Proposal B (MS Word Document, 805.6 KB)
• --> --> --> --> Senior Indigenous Proposal C (MS Word Document, 805.8 KB)

The Westpac Future Leaders Scholarship aims to empower individuals to become leaders in their field, helping them to drive positive change and create a brighter tomorrow for Australia.

The Scholarship provides:

• Leadership development
• Overseas experiences

This Scholarship is a top-up scholarship, with lump-sum payments, which provides up to $120,000 over 2 to 3 years.

• 29 August 2024: Submission of application to Westpac

Please refer to the Westpac Future Leaders Scholarship website for information on eligibility requirements.

Domestic applications for the 2025 Westpac Future Leaders Scholarship round are now open.

Applications for this Scholarship must be submitted via the Westpac Future Leaders Scholarship website by 29 August 2024 .

Applicants who intend to apply for this Scholarship must also visit the University of Tasmania’s Apply Now website and complete an application. At the end of the application, within the Comment field, please advise that you are also applying for the Westpac Future Leaders Scholarship.

Eligibility requirements for this Scholarship specify a 2025 commencement (with a 01 January 2025 to 30 June 2025 commencement period). To ensure there is evidence of your intention to undertake a research degree, please apply to the University, or contact [email protected] with your intention to apply for candidature, at the same time as applying for the Westpac Future Leaders Scholarship.

For more information on this Scholarship, please visit the Westpac Future Leaders Scholarship website, or email  [email protected].

For postgraduate coursework applicants, please also visit the External Scholarships Westpac Future Leaders Scholarship webpage on how you may apply, and direct all queries to the Future Students team.

To discover the latest news and reflections from past and present scholars, including alumni tips, please also visit Westpac's Future Leaders News:

• Read our UTAS, HDR Candidate Rebekah Ash's Westpac story: Westpac scholar explores gender and resilience in Northern Kenya's Pastoralist Communities

Externally funded scholarships

The AHURI Indigenous Postgraduate Scholarship Top-Up aims to attract Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to housing, homelessness, cities, urban policy and related disciplines, and to increase the contribution of Indigenous knowledge to Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) research.

Value & Duration

This Scholarship is a top-up scholarship that provides $10,000pa for 3 years (PhD) or 2 years (Masters of Research (MRes)).

Closing Date

The following eligibility criteria apply to this Scholarship:

• An applicant who is Aboriginal and/or a Torres Strait Islander;
• An applicant applying for a PhD or MRes and a base living allowance scholarship at the University rate; and
• An applicant applying for an AHURI approved available HDR project, see: Available projects for research degrees

Applicants who wish to apply for the Scholarship, in addition to a PhD or MRes and a base living allowance stipend, should visit the University of Tasmania’s  Apply Now website and complete an application. At the end of the application, within the Comment field, please advise that you are also applying for the AHURI Indigenous Postgraduate Top-Up Scholarship.

All applications that meet the eligibility criteria will automatically be considered for the Scholarship.

Provision of the award is determined by demonstration of academic merit and will be assessed by the School of Social Sciences HDR Scholarship Assessment Committee together with the UTAS AHURI Research Centre Director.

Please contact  [email protected] for more information.

• The Scholarship is to be known as the AHURI Indigenous Postgraduate Top-Up Scholarship and may be offered following consultation with the UTAS AHURI Research Centre Director.
• The Scholarship will be awarded as a top-up scholarship for PhD or MRes applicants offered candidature as a PhD or MRes candidate, with a base living allowance stipend at the University rate.
• An applicant who is Aboriginal and/or a Torres Strait Islander; and
• An applicant applying for a PhD or Masters of Research (MRes) and a base living allowance scholarship at the University rate; and
• An applicant applying for a PhD or a MRes, in an area identified as being a research policy issue of relevance to AHURI research.
• The Scholarship selection will be undertaken by the School of Social Sciences HDR Scholarship Assessment Committee (overseen by the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Graduate Research) and the UTAS AHURI Research Centre Director.
• Towards the degree prior to the commencement of the base living allowance stipend; or,
• continuing in full-time study;
• continuing to make satisfactory academic progress as determined by the Graduate Research Office;
• providing a report on their progress in writing or in person as specified in the conditions of their award as requested by the Graduate Research Office.
• Scholarship holders are required to attend three AHRUI-led postgraduate symposiums over the course of their candidature, when practicable. The symposium is an event that assists in creating and fostering a housing research community for emerging researchers. Prior to their attendance, candidates must prepare a paper for presentation at the symposium.
• The Scholarship is subject to satisfactory performance. At the end of each year of candidature (prior to 30 June each year), formal written notice of satisfactory performance and continuing full-time enrolment must be provided to AHURI by the University.
• The Pro Vice-Chancellor and Graduate Research Office will determine all other matters concerning the Scholarship, including advertising, application procedures, and the method and time of payment.

The National Housing Research Program (NHRP) is an annual, nationally competitive program funded by the Australian and all state/territory governments and managed by AHURI. The aim of the NHRP is to attract new candidates to housing, homelessness, cities, urban policy and related disciplines, to develop the quantity and quality of research talent in the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) network, and to maintain and improve the standard of the AHURI NHRP.

This Scholarship is a top-up scholarship that provides $7,000pa for 3 years (PhD) or 2 years (Masters of Research (MRes))

• An applicant applying for a PhD or MRes, on a full-time load, and a base living allowance scholarship at the University rate; and

Applicants who wish to apply for the Scholarship, in addition to a PhD or MRes and a base living allowance stipend, should visit the University of Tasmania’s  Apply Now website and complete an application. At the end of the application, within the Comment field, please advise that you are also applying for the AHURI National Housing Research Program Top-Up Scholarship.

• The Scholarship is to be known as the AHURI National Housing Research Program Top-Up Scholarship and may be offered following consultation with the UTAS AHURI Research Centre Director.
• An applicant applying for a PhD or Masters of Research (MRes), on a full-time load, and a base living allowance scholarship at the University rate; and,
• Scholarship selection will be undertaken by the School of Social Sciences HDR Scholarship Assessment Committee (overseen by the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Graduate Research) and the UTAS AHURI Research Centre Director.

The China Scholarship Council (CSC) and the University of Tasmania are jointly offering PhD research scholarships to students from the People's Republic of China (PRC).

Applications for PhD candidature are invited from research areas including but not limited to:

• Oceanography, marine, Antarctic, maritime, fisheries and aquaculture, including associated research in international policy and law
• Geosciences including igneous petrology, geochemistry, melt/fluid inclusion research, volcanology, structural geology, tectonics, geophysics, ore petrology and geo-metallurgy
• Agricultural research maximising the sustainable economic development of agricultural industries including dairy production, extensive agriculture, perennial horticulture, vegetable production and food safety, and addressing whole-of-industry issues, including biosecurity and climate change
• Separation science research encompassing monolithic stationary phases, the development of new hyphenated and multidimensional separations, biomarkers for the Tasmania Devil Facial Tumour Disease, studies on stationary phase selectivity and capacity, retention modelling in ion chromatography and applications
• Health and medical research including immunology, epidemiology, dementia and disease prevention
• Fine, creative and performing arts, and musical performance and composition

Eligibility criteria

Applications will be accepted from applicants who have graduated from Chinese universities and institutions to study for a University of Tasmania (UTAS) PhD degree, who meet eligibility requirements as prescribed by China Scholarship Council (CSC) and UTAS in accordance with rules and policies. If the successful candidate completes the requirements of the designated program and successfully defends their dissertation, they will be conferred with a Doctor of Philosophy degree by UTAS.

Entry requirements for the University of Tasmania are outlined on the  What is a Research Degree webpage.

Applicants must also meet the selection criteria as set out by  China Scholarships Council .

Application and selection procedure

Applications for the 2024 CSC round are now closed. For more information visit the China Scholarship Council webpage.

Current donor funded scholarships

The Baillieu Research Scholarship was established by a gift from the Honourable William Lawrence Baillieu and family. The Baillieu family wished to support descendants of World War I veterans who had been killed, blinded or totally and permanently incapacitated during service.

This Scholarship is a top-up scholarship that provides $8,500pa for 3.5 years

• An applicant applying for a PhD and a base living allowance stipend at the University rate, or a current PhD candidate who has been offered or awarded a base stipend at the University rate
• An applicant applying for a PhD, or a current candidate who has been offered or has commenced a PhD, with a research project in Medicine, Law, Commerce, Economics or Architecture; and,
• Preference for a fully qualified applicant or candidate who is the lineal descendant of an Australian soldier or sailor who, as the result of an occurrence happening during the period he was a member of the Forces, has died or has been blinded or has been permanently and totally incapacitated, with priority being given to World War I service. A statutory declaration can be used in support of this claim.

Applicants who wish to apply for the Scholarship, in addition to a PhD and a base living allowance stipend, should visit the University of Tasmania’s  Apply Now website and complete an application. At the end of the application, within the Comment field, please advise that you are also applying for the Baillieu Research Scholarship. Please ensure to include a statutory declaration if you meet the preference eligibility criteria.

For current PhD candidates at the University of Tasmania, who have been offered or awarded a living allowance base stipend, please complete and submit the  Donor-Funded Scholarship Application form for Current Candidate (Word 74KB) to  [email protected].

All applications that meet the eligibility criteria will automatically be considered for the Scholarship. Heavier weighting will be applied to those applications that meet the preference eligibility criteria.

Provision of the award is determined by demonstration of academic merit.

• One scholarship will be offered at any time, with the Scholarship being open to application at any time it is not currently being held by a PhD candidate.
• The Baillieu Research Scholarship was established by a gift from the Honourable William Lawrence Baillieu and family in support of descendants of World War I veterans who had been killed, blinded or totally and permanently incapacitated during service.
• The Scholarship will be awarded as a top-up scholarship for applicants offered candidature as a PhD candidate, with a base living allowance stipend, or for current PhD candidates already holding or eligible for a base living allowance stipend at the University rate.
• The Scholarship selection will be determined by an approved selection process overseen by the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Graduate Research, with specific regard to the eligibility criteria as detailed in clause 3. The Pro Vice-Chancellor for Graduate Research may select the final candidate if multiple applications are submitted across colleges.
• Towards the degree prior to the commencement of the top-up; or
• Continuing in full-time study or in part-time study if approved by the Graduate Research Office
• Continuing to make satisfactory academic progress as determined by the Graduate Research Office
• providing a report on their progress in writing or in person as specified in the conditions of their award as requested by the Graduate Research Office
• The Advancement Office will set the annual value of the Scholarship from time to time with regard to the income from the Fund.
• The Pro Vice-Chancellor for Graduate Research will determine all other matters concerning the Scholarship, including advertising, application procedures and the method and time of payment.

Janet Cretan is a respected member of the Tasmanian community, who has a long and involved history with the University of Tasmania and the broader community. Her father, the Late Professor Keith Isles CMG was Vice-Chancellor of the University for a decade from 1957 to 1967. Being the daughter of the Vice-Chancellor, and at a challenging time for the University, meant that the University was a significant part of Janet’s life, living on the University campus in Sandy Bay.

Janet studied at the University on two occasions. In 1959 she completed a Bachelor of Economics with Honours and returned some years later to complete a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Classics in 1988.

Janet has been a significant supporter of the University for most of her life and, along with her husband Nick Cretan, has generously agreed to endow a perpetual scholarship for a PhD student researching in the fields of philosophy and sociology.

This Scholarship is a top-up scholarship that provides $7,500pa for 3.5 years.

• An applicant applying for PhD and a base living allowance stipend at the University rate, or a current PhD candidate who has been offered or awarded a base stipend at the University rate: and,
• An applicant applying for a PhD, or a current candidate who has been offered or has commenced a PhD, in an area identified as a research strength in the disciplines of Philosophy or Sociology

Applicants who wish to apply for the Scholarship, in addition to a PhD and a base living allowance stipend, should visit the University of Tasmania’s  Apply Now website and complete an application. At the end of the application, within the Comment field, please advise that you are also applying for the Janet Cretan Elite Research Scholarship.

Provision of the award is determined by demonstration of academic merit, will be awarded upon endorsement from the Dean of the Faculty of Arts (or nominee), a member of the Cretan Family (while they wish to be involved) and the Dean of Graduate Research (or nominee).

• An amount of $100,000 donated by Mrs Janet and Mr Nick Cretan to the University of Tasmania Foundation, together with a contribution of $50,000 provided by the University of Tasmania Foundation, along with any interest from time to time forms the endowment component of a scholarship to be called the Janet Cretan Elite Research Scholarship (the Scholarship).
• The Scholarship will be awarded as a top-up Scholarship for applicants offered candidature as a PhD candidate, with a base living allowance stipend, or for current PhD candidates already holding or eligible for a base living allowance stipend at the University rate.
• An applicant applying for PhD, or a current candidate who has been offered or has commenced a PhD, in an area identified as a research strength in the disciplines of Philosophy or Sociology
• The Scholarship will be awarded following applications and with endorsement from the Dean of the Faculty of Arts (or nominee), a member of the Cretan Family (while they wish to be involved) and the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Graduate Research (or nominee).
• Towards the degree prior to the commencement of the Scholarship; or
• Continuing in full-time study or in part-time study if approved by the Graduate Research Office
• Continuing to make satisfactory academic progress as determined by the Graduate Research Office
• Providing a report on their progress in writing or in person as specified in the conditions of their award as requested by the Graduate Research Office
• One scholarship will be offered at any time, with the Scholarship being open to application at any time it is not held by a PhD candidate.
• The Advancement Office will set the annual value of the scholarship from time to time having regard to the income from the endowment.
• The Pro Vice-Chancellor for Graduate Research and the Graduate Research Office will determine all other matters concerning the Scholarship, including advertising, application procedures and the method and time of payment.

The Limestone Valley How Family Trust was established at the University of Tasmania from a bequest by the late John How. Named after Limestone Valley, the How family’s former cattle farm in Mole Creek, Tasmania his gift, will provide the Limestone Valley How Family PhD Scholarship to support medical research for one or more PhD candidates. The Scholarship will be supported along with a full University PhD stipend.

This Scholarship is a top-up scholarship of $10,000pa (not indexed) for up to 3.5 years.

The Scholarship also includes up to $30,000 of funding support, which will be used to assist the successful applicant as agreed with by the Primary Supervisor and as approved by their Academic Unit. Funding support may include:

• Overseas health cover insurance (for a single person)
• University required Student Services and Amenities Fee
• Project and career development
• Travel to visit family during candidature (one trip)

The Limestone Valley How Family PhD Scholarship is a marquee scholarship awarded to outstanding applicants. The following eligibility criteria apply to this Scholarship:

• An applicant applying for a PhD and a base living allowance stipend at the University rate; and,
• An applicant applying for a PhD with a research project in the area of Medical Research within an Academic Unit in the College of Health and Medicine.

Applicants who wish to apply for the Scholarship, in addition to a PhD and a base living allowance stipend, should visit the University of Tasmania’s  Apply Now website and complete an application. At the end of the application, within the Comment field , please advise that you are also applying for the Limestone Valley How Family PhD Scholarship.

• Multiple Scholarships may be offered within a year and/or scholarship round.
• The Limestone Valley How Family Trust has been established at the University from a bequest by the late John How. Administered by the Advancement Office, the purpose of the fund is to support medical research for one or more graduate students. This gift will provide the “Limestone Valley How Family PhD Scholarship” (the Scholarship) and will be supported with a full University PhD Stipend.
• The Scholarship will be awarded as a AUD $10,000pa top-up Scholarship and AUD $30,000 support package, for applicants offered PhD candidature, with a base living allowance stipend.
• Costs of overseas health cover insurance for a single person (international students).
• Payment of Student Services and Amenities Fee.
• Project and career development support, including support for internships, specialist training, and research project costs.
• Assistance to support interstate or international travel (one single economy return airline) to visit family during candidature (up to $3000)
• Additional support may be provided to the Scholarship recipient from Academic Units at their discretion as per existing agreements.
• The Scholarship selection will be determined by demonstration of academic merit by an approved selection process overseen by the Associate Dean Research Performance within the College of Health and Medicine (or nominee), with specific regard to the eligibility criteria as detailed in clause 5.
• The Scholarship will be open to applicants in all relevant scholarship rounds in 2024 and 2025.
• The Limestone Valley How Family PhD Scholarship is a marquee scholarship awarded to top-tier applicants. Eligibility criteria will need to be met at a very high level. Applicants must satisfy the University entrance requirements to undertake a PhD with outstanding academic results and demonstrated research readiness. If applications of outstanding merit are not received the Scholarship may not be offered.
• The Pro Vice-Chancellor for Graduate Research and the Graduate Research Office will determine all other matters concerning the Scholarship, including advertising, application procedures and the method and time of payment of the top-up. The funding support package will be approved and administered by the Academic Unit.

Honouring the late Mr Glazebrook’s wishes, who was a passionate advocate for conserving Tasmania’s natural environment, the University is to apply this bequest to provide a scholarship to students undertaking a Masters by Research, or PhD on:

• Threats and remedies related to negative environmental impacts on Tasmania’s natural environment (past, present and future, terrestrial and aquatic) from human activities ; and/or,
• Research to ensure Aboriginal environmental justice occurs so that indigenous acceptance is a prerequisite for proposed developments in the natural environment.

Successful project(s) should ideally focus on:

• The negative environmental impacts of changes to Tasmania’s natural environment from human activities, particularly towards threatened flora/fauna, and develop remedies using science–based evidence to firstly measure risks and then by research, deliver solutions to abate or eliminate such risks; and/or,
• Increase Aboriginal well-being by implementing Aboriginal environmental justice practices on issues related to their land and sea regions through consultation with relevant Aboriginal representatives.

This Scholarship is a top-up scholarship that provides $10,000pa for 3.5 years

• A MRes or PhD applicant, or current candidate who has been offered or awarded a base stipend at the University rate; and,
• Conservation and protection of Tasmania’s important natural assets, particularly threatened species, including current status studies and research of impact assessments (actual and potential) on ecosystems and related remedies to human interference (for example directly such as logging, or indirectly such as global warming).
• Raising awareness, acceptance and delivery of solutions for injustices suffered by Tasmania’s Aboriginal people through European colonisation, with a focus on environmental justice and connection to land and sea thereby adding to the goal of increased wellbeing into the future. This may also include the cultural impacts from invasive species.

Applicants who wish to apply for the Scholarship, in addition to a PhD and a base living allowance stipend, should visit the University of Tasmania’s Apply Now website and complete an application. At the end of the application, within the Comment field, please advise that you are also applying for the Richard Ernest Glazebrook Environment Scholarship.

For current PhD candidates at the University of Tasmania, who have been offered or awarded a living allowance base stipend, please complete and submit the Donor-Funded Scholarship Application for Current Candidate to [email protected] .

Applications will be assessed on how the project addresses environmental science and justice problems and the capacity to deliver proposed project outcomes to these problems. Financial and/or educational disadvantage may also be considered.

Some examples of ideal research topics include:

• The conservation of Tasmania’s important natural assets such as high-conservation forests including old-growth and rainforests and how this will help threatened species through protection of habitat.
• Conserving threatened and endangered flora and fauna such as eagles, Swift parrots, Masked Owls and albatrosses by helping to minimize the impact of human interference on important ecosystems such as impacts from native forest logging, wind farms, overfishing and climate change
• Stopping mining in high conservation areas or with significant environmental values by measuring these values for application by decision makers and stake holders before approvals processes
• Impacts on marine ecosystems and threatened species from Atlantic salmon farming in sheltered waters such as bays and inlets
• Impacts on threatened species from wind farms proposed in inappropriate places such as migratory and foraging flyways, wetlands, and those places known to support and protect these species.
• Mortality studies of threatened flora and fauna such as wedge tailed eagles, albatrosses, raptors from human infrastructure (cars, power lines, overfishing, wind farms and zoonoses spread) and how to reduce or eliminate such threats
• Research on the impacts of invasive species on native species – land, marine, avian – what effects are these having, particularly on threatened species, and how can they be reduced.  Impacts may also occur on indigenous culture.
• Impacts of any other activity that degrades Tasmania’s natural ecosystems, e.g. global warming which threatens unique Tasmanian flora and fauna such as Gondwanan forests (e.g. pencil pines) via drought and fires
• Effects of plastic pollution, including lost nets, in the Tasmania’s marine environment
• Impacts of tourism developments in World Heritage Areas, National Parks and areas important to Aboriginal people from environmental justice and conserving wilderness perspectives
• The recognition and acceptance of injustices suffered by Tasmania’s Aboriginal people when Europeans colonized their land (potential focus areas include the health and the overall well-being of Aboriginal people}
• The Richard Ernest Glazebrook Environment Scholarship (the Scholarship) will be awarded as a top-up scholarship.
• A MRes or PhD applicant, or candidate who has been offered or awarded a base stipend at the University Rate; and,
• The Scholarship selection will be determined by an approved selection process overseen by the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Graduate Research, with specific regard to the eligibility criteria.
• Continuing to make satisfactory academic progress as determined by the Graduate Research Office; and
• A thank you letter. Please see sample letter for reference; and,
• Project updates, to be provided between 6-12 months of accepting the scholarship, and then every 6-12 months for the remainder of the scholarship support.
• The PVCGR will determine all other matters concerning the Scholarship, including advertising, application procedures and the method and time of payment.

As a result of an endowed gift from the late Lady Cuthbertson the University of Tasmania can offer named research scholarships to honour the late Sir Harold Cuthbertson and the late Lady Cuthbertson. This gift, along with a contribution from the College of Science and Engineering, will provide a Cuthbertson Elite Tasmania Graduate Research Scholarship (Scholarship) in the areas of agricultural, horticultural, aquaculture or silviculture.

This Scholarship consists of a base living allowance stipend of $32,192pa (2024 rate, indexed annually) and a top-up scholarship of $10,000pa (not indexed) for 3.5 years.

• An applicant who has completed at least four years of tertiary education studies, with First Class Honours or equivalent from a recognised tertiary institution
• An applicant applying for a full-time PhD at the University of Tasmania, with a research project in agriculture, horticulture, aquaculture, or silviculture
• An applicant who has not been awarded a degree at the same or higher level as the proposed candidature/scholarship
• An applicant who is an Australian citizen, New Zealand citizen or permanent resident of Australia

Applicants who wish to apply for the Scholarship, in addition to a PhD and a base living allowance stipend, should visit the University of Tasmania’s  Apply Now website and complete an application. At the end of the application, within the Comment field, please advise that you are also applying for the Cuthbertson Elite Tasmania Graduate Research Scholarship.

Provision of the award is determined by demonstration of academic merit, as well as by the personal qualities and achievements that are relevant to the applicant making a significant contribution to society.

For detailed information about the conditions of award please see the University:

• Tasmania Graduate Research Scholarship (TGRS) Domestic Conditions of Award

Please Note: This Scholarship does not cover costs and fees, such as the  Student Services and Amenities Fee . This is the candidate's responsibility.

Upcoming donor funded scholarships

The late Dianne Eerden made a substantial gift in her Will to the University of Tasmania to be used for a scholarship or bursary for a female student in the areas of neurosurgery or neuroscience.

Type of Scholarship

Top-Up Scholarship

Next Scheduled Offer

October 2026*

*Please check back regularly as this date is subject to change

• An amount of $290,144 donated by the late Dianne Eerden to the University of Tasmania Foundation, together with any future donations and accrued interest, (the Fund) forms the endowment of the "Dianne Eerden Elite Research Top-up Scholarship" (the Scholarship).
• A female graduate
• An applicant applying for a PhD and a base living allowance stipend at the University rate, or a current PhD candidate who has been offered or awarded a base stipend at the University rate; and,
• An applicant applying for PhD, with a research project in the area of neurosurgery or neuroscience.
• If changes occur to courses, or the criteria in practice limits the number of applicants significantly, the University Graduate Research Office may modify the criteria with regard to the intention of the donor to ensure the scholarship can be awarded.
• The Scholarship selection will be determined by an approved selection process overseen by the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Graduate Research, with specific regard to the eligibility criteria as detailed in clause 3.
• Continuing to make satisfactory academic progress  as determined by the Graduate Research Office

The Dr Daphne Cooper Scholarship (Scholarship) is made possible through the generosity of the late Dr Daphne Cooper who was a lecturer in the School of Psychology from 1960 until her retirement in 1975. Originally a graduate of the University of Tasmania in Arts (1941), she undertook postgraduate studies in clinical psychology at University of Western Australia before completing her PhD in Psychology at the University of Tasmania in 1971. Daphne's long-term interests in educational and developmental psychology reflect her early career in teaching and her work as a vocational guidance officer for the Tasmanian Education Department.

August 2027*

• an applicant applying for PhD and a base living allowance stipend at the University rate, or a current PhD candidate who has been offered or awarded a base stipend at the University rate; and,
• an applicant applying for a PhD with a research project in the School of Psychological Sciences, or a current PhD candidate with a research project in the School of Psychological Sciences.
• The Scholarship selection will be determined by demonstration of academic merit by an approved selection process overseen by the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Graduate Research with specific regard to the eligibility criteria as detailed in clause 2.
• Towards the degree prior to the commencement of the Scholarship; or,
• continuing in full-time study or in part-time study if approved by the Graduate Research Office;
• One scholarship will be offered at any time, with the Scholarship only being open to application at any time it is not currently being held by a PhD candidate.
• The Advancement Office will set the annual value of the Scholarship.
• The Pro Vice-Chancellor for Graduate Research and Graduate Research Office will determine all other matters concerning the Scholarship, including advertising, application procedures, and the method and time of payment.
• The late Dr Joan Woodberry AM, an alumna of the University of Tasmania, bequeathed her estate to make a fellowship available at the University of Tasmania. This gift, along with a contribution from the College of Science and Engineering will provide a fellowship available to talented women.

Base Scholarship and Top-Up Scholarship

March 2025*

• The Fellowship is to be known as the Dr Joan Woodberry Postgraduate Fellowship in Engineering or Bioscience.
• The Fellowship will be offered every two years.
• Female Australian citizen undertaking postgraduate study in the fields of engineering or bioscience at the University of Tasmania.
• the Dean of Science, Engineering and Technology, or nominee/s
• the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Graduate Research, or nominee
• Mr James Walker, executor of Dr Joan Woodberry’s estate, while he wishes to be involved
• Dr Randy Rose, while he wishes to be involved
• The Graduate Research Office will determine all other matters concerning the fellowship, including advertising, application procedures and the method and time of payment of the fellowship.
• Towards the degree prior to the commencement of the Graduate Research Scholarship; or
• Continuing in full-time study or part-time study if approved by the Graduate Research office
• Continuing to make satisfactory academic progress in accordance with the Higher Degree by Research Candidature Policy
• Providing a written report on their progress to the Graduate Research Office where specified in the conditions of the award.

The late Merle White Weaver, a graduate of the University of Tasmania, gifted a portion of her estate to establish a scholarship to encourage women graduates in the South-East Asian and Pacific area to pursue postgraduate study and research.

The funds are managed by TPT Wealth.

Base Scholarship

Scholarship Conditions

Merle W Weaver Postgraduate Scholarship 2020 Conditions of Award (PDF 249.3 KB)

• The late Merle White Weaver, a graduate of the University of Tasmania, instructed in her Will that part of her Estate be used for the purpose of encouraging women graduates in the South-East Asian and Pacific area to pursue postgraduate study and research. The Estate is managed by TPT Wealth.
• The Scholarship is to be known as the Merle W Weaver Postgraduate Scholarship and may be offered following consultation with TPT Wealth.
• The Scholarship may only be awarded to an eligible applicant or candidate for postgraduate research at the University of Tasmania.
• Excludes graduates from universities in Australia and New Zealand
• A citizen of a South-East Asian or Pacific area country
• An applicant applying for a Higher Degree by Research, or a current candidate who has been offered or has commenced a Higher Degree by Research, in any area at the University of Tasmania
• The Scholarship selection will be determined by an approved selection process overseen by the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Graduate Research with specific regard to the eligibility criteria as detailed in clause 4.
• One scholarship will be offered at any time, with the Scholarship only being open to application at any time it is not currently being held by a Higher Degree by Research candidate.
• The Pro Vice-Chancellor for Graduate Research and Graduate Research Office will determine all other matters concerning the scholarship, including advertising, application procedures, and the method and time of payment of the scholarship.

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (Tasmanian Branch) has established the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (Tasmanian Branch) Pharmacy Research Scholarship (Scholarship) to promote and foster the furtherance of research and post graduate education in pharmacy.

April 2027*

• an applicant applying for a PhD with a research project in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, or a current PhD candidate with a research project in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmacology.
• The Scholarship selection will be undertaken  by the School of Pharmacy and Pharmacology Research Committee and overseen by the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Graduate Research with specific regard to the eligibility criteria as detailed in clause 2.
• The Pro Vice-Chancellor for Graduate Research and Graduate Research Office will determine all other matters concerning the Scholarship, including advertising, application procedures and the method and time of payment.

The late Catherine Guy made a significant gift from her estate, in memory of the late Desmond Stuart Guy, to the University of Tasmania to provide scholarships for engineering students. This gift, along with a contribution from the College of Science and Engineering will provide a postgraduate scholarship for an engineering student.

*Please check back regularly as this date is subject to change.

• A donation from the late Desmond and Catherine Guy to the University of Tasmania Foundation, together with co-funding from the School of Engineering and ICT, any future donations and accrued interest (the Fund) forms the endowment of a scholarship to be called ‘The Bill Guy Scholarship’ (the Scholarship).
• The Scholarship will be offered on completion.
• The Scholarship may only be awarded to an eligible postgraduate student studying at the University of Tasmania in the Faculty of Engineering.
• If changes occur to courses, or the criteria in practice limits the number of applicants significantly, the University Graduate Research Office may modify the criteria with regard to the intention of the donors to ensure the Scholarship can be awarded.
• The Scholarship selection will be determined by an approved selection process overseen by the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Graduate Research.
• Continuing in full-time study or in part-time study if approved by the Graduate Research Office.
• Continuing to make satisfactory academic progress in accordance with the Higher Degree by Research Candidature Policy.
• One scholarship will be offered at any time, with the scholarship being open to application at any time it is not currently being held by a PhD candidate.
• The Advancement Office will set the annual value of the Scholarship from time to time in consultation with the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Graduate Research, with regard to income from the fund.
• The Pro Vice-Chancellor for Graduate Research will determine all other matters concerning the Scholarship, including advertising, application procedures and the method and time of payment to scholarship recipients.

The Banks Family have endowed the Max Banks Research Scholarship in Earth Sciences (Scholarship) in memory of Dr Maxwell R Banks AM for the benefit of students in the discipline of Geology/Earth Sciences. Dr Banks AM was a founding father of Geology at the University of Tasmania, an accomplished academic and an esteemed faculty member in the University of Tasmania Department of Geology from 1947 until 1990.

• An amount donated by  The Banks Family (the Donor) to the University of Tasmania Foundation, together with any future donations and accrued interest, (the Fund) forms the endowment of a scholarship to be called the “ The Max Banks Research Scholarship in Earth Sciences ” (the Scholarship).
• The Scholarship will be awarded as a top-up scholarship for applicants offered candidature as a PhD candidate, with a base living allowance stipend, or for current PhD candidates already holding or eligible for a base living  allowance stipend at the University rate.
• An applicant applying for a PhD with a research project in the discipline of Earth Sciences, with a preference for Geology, or a current PhD candidate with a research project in the discipline of Earth Sciences, with a preference for Geology
• If changes occur to courses offered at the University at some time in the future, or should the criteria in practice limit the number of applicants significantly, the University's Graduate Research Office may modify the criteria, in consultation with the Donors, to ensure the scholarship can be awarded.
• continuing in full-time study or in part-time study if approved by the Graduate Research Office
• continuing to make satisfactory academic progress in accordance with the Higher Degree by Research Candidature Management and Higher Degree by Research Reviews of Progress Policies
• providing a written report on their progress to the Graduate Research Office where specified in the conditions of the award
• One Scholarship will be offered at any time, with the Scholarship being open to application at any time it is not currently being held by a PhD candidate.
• The Advancement Office will set the annual value of the Scholarship with regard to the income from the Fund. The value will be reviewed prior to advertisement of the Scholarship.
• The Pro Vice-Chancellor for Graduate Research and the Graduate Research Office will determine all other matters concerning the Scholarship, including advertising, application procedures, and the method and time of payment.
• The ‘Max Banks Research Scholarship in Earth Sciences Scholarship’ may only be held at the University of Tasmania.

A generous donation from the disbanded Victoria League for Commonwealth Friendship Hobart branch will support a post graduate position in the areas of dementia, heart complaints or cancer. The funds are managed by TPT Wealth.

Scholarship Conditions

Victoria League 2020 Conditions of Award (PDF 244.1 KB)

• This Scholarship is provided through a generous donation from the disbanded Victoria League for Commonwealth Friendship Hobart branch. The funds are managed by TPT Wealth.
• The Scholarship is to be known as the Victoria League for Commonwealth Friendship Medical Research Trust Scholarship and may be offered following consultation with TPT Wealth.
• The Scholarship is provided to a student for research in the areas of dementia, heart complaints or cancer.
• An applicant applying for a Higher Degree by Research, or a current candidate who has been offered or has commenced a Higher Degree by Research, with a research project in the areas of dementia, heart complaints, or cancer
• The Scholarship selection will be determined by an approved selection process overseen by the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Graduate Research, with specific regard to the eligibility criteria as details in clause 4.
• Providing a written report on their progress to the Graduate Research Office where specified in the conditions of the award

If you are applying for a project with an available scholarship, please check the closing and outcome dates for each round and ensure you have submitted your completed application on time. Please allow enough time to contact the proposed supervisor and collect all relevant documentation prior to submitting.

Applications close at 11.59pm AEST.

Scholarship rounds 2024

*Where a round specifies a specific citizenship type, only those with that type of citizenship will be eligible to apply for that round.

Applications received after the closing date of a round will ONLY be considered (at the next available round) if a suitable applicant is not found by the round outcome date.

Please note , projects with a guaranteed scholarship may have a different closing date to those listed above. Please check each project advertisement carefully.

Domestic candidates

Domestic candidates do not pay fees for a Higher Degree by Research (HDR) at the University of Tasmania (UTAS). The Australian Government currently provides funding to all Australian universities to cover the cost of research degree places through the  Research Training Program .

Domestic candidates undertaking Graduate Certificate in Research (X5A) or Graduate Diploma of Marine and Antarctic Science (S6O) must complete an eCAF form via eStudent ( eCAF Information ). This is for Government reporting purposes, there are no tuition fees or a HECS-HELP debt incurred by the candidate for X5A or S6O.

Other applicable fees, such as Student Services and Amenities Fees (SSAF) will be the responsibility of the candidate.

International candidates

International candidates pay a flat annual fee, please see the tuition fee rates (per annum) for 2024 (PDF 152.3 KB) .

The  Department of Home Affairs requires evidence that applicants for a student visa have sufficient funds to complete their studies.

You need to consider the following expenses:

• HDR tuition fees
• Visa and medical (pre-departure) fees
• General living expenses
• Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)
• Return airfares

Please also review  Department of Home Affairs Student Visa Living Costs and evidence of funds.

International candidates may request the University of Tasmania provide a quote for Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) as part of the application process. The standard costs for the different levels of cover are:

Find out more about Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)

Research costs

The School/Institute you enrol through at the University of Tasmania is responsible for meeting all 'direct research costs' that are necessary to undertake your HDR project. This includes:

• Access to resources or facilities at the University of Tasmania or other organisations in Australia or overseas
• Travel to complete fieldwork, collect data, or to visit libraries or other repositories
• Training in techniques

External Candidates: As per the HDR Admissions and Enrolment Policy, your College acknowledged that by supporting external candidates, all additional costs related to external candidature can be met by the Candidate, the research project or the academic unit of enrolment.

Funding may be available for supplementary research that is not essential to your project, but will enhance your research experience at the University of Tasmania.

Student Services and Amenities Fee

All candidates must pay a  Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) , which we use to improve student services. This cost is included in international tuition fees, however domestic candidates are charged separately.

How to apply

Applicants should complete an application in conjunction with their supervisory team. Please indicate on the  application if you wish to be considered for a scholarship.

Future candidates  should review the scholarship information above and then visit our  Apply Now page for further instructions. Applications for scholarships will be reviewed and ranked on a competitive basis.

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